SECAMP - Student Experiments with Cold Atoms on Micro- and Hypergravity Platforms

Abstract

The QUANTUS consortium started activities to perform atom interferometry on a sounding rocket in the year 2011. Three sounding rocket missions (MAIUS-1 to 3) have been planned to demonstrate Bose-Einstein condensation and atom interferometry with rubidium and potassium atoms. Two different payloads MAIUS-A and MAIUS-B are being designed, qualified and integrated in the time frame from 2011 until 2020. Based on this heritage the “Student Experiments with Cold Atoms for Microgravity Platforms” (SECAMP) project has been started at the University of Bremen. The scope of the project is to design and built a payload for student experiments with cold atoms on multiple micro-gravity and hyper-gravity platforms. The apparatus shall allow the generation of a molasses of Rubidium-87 atoms and observation of the cooled atoms through fluorescence imaging in three perpendicular axes. This will enable detecting the movement of the atoms due to (residual) accelerations once the magneto-optical trap is switched off. As such the setup will form a simple accelerometer. The payload shall be designed to be suitable for operation on hyperbolic flights, the drop tower, sounding rockets and centrifuges allowing the participants to apply for the manifold national and European student programs on these platforms. This talk will give an overview on the current design and the requirements imposed by the different platforms. Moreover the student team and their role in the project will be presented and the current status of the project will be highlighted.