Diana Gaviria, University of Central Florida


Absorption Imaging of an Ultracold Gas

Abstract: The main objective of my research was to design, test, and implement a new imaging system that will be used for the study of an ultracold gas of molecules. Although the current experimental set up already included an imaging system, a new Pixelfly camera was added with the purpose of obtaining complementary information of the ultracold cloud of atoms along a different axis. A MATLAB code was developed to control and test the camera. A test experiment was conducted by taking Images of 87Rb clouds for a time-of-flight (TOF) range. The code was also implemented to perform mathematical operations to obtain the optical depth, the region of interest, and Gaussian fits in two dimension. These results were corroborated with previously obtained information and demonstrated that the new imaging system was performing successfully. The new camera performs almost as well as the current camera, but it is significantly smaller. Size is a major factor considering the lack of space in the current experimental set up. The new system will be positioned in a way that it can capture the top portion of the cloud of atoms. Capturing images of the cloud simultaneously from two angles will provide new information about atom behavior during expansion at ultra low temperatures.

Advisor: Debbie Jin (University Colorado at Boulder)