Zeeman Slower

Our Zeeman slower is an atomic-beam deceleration system that uses radiation pressure from a counter-propagating laser together with a spatially varying magnetic field to maintain optical resonance as atoms slow, producing a low-velocity atomic flux suitable for capture in a magneto-optical trap.

In a neutral-atom quantum computer, the Zeeman slower can therefore be considered part of the atomic preparation and cooling infrastructure: it converts a fast atomic beam from the source/oven into sufficiently slow atoms that can subsequently be trapped, laser-cooled, arranged, and ultimately used as qubits.