Low-power microstructured atomic oven for alkaline-earth-like elements

Abstract

Alkaline-earth-like elements play pivotal roles in advanced quantum sensing technologies, notably optical clocks, with unprecedented precision achieved in recent years. Despite remarkable progress, current optical-lattice clocks still face challenges in meeting the demanding size, weight, and power consumption constraints essential for space applications. Conventional atom sources, such as ovens or dispensers, require substantial heating power, which makes up a significant fraction of the overall power consumption of the system. Addressing this challenge, we present a microstructured atomic oven based on fused silica, designed for miniaturization and low-power operation. We characterize the oven by loading a magneto-optical trap with Yb evaporated from the oven and demonstrate operation with a loading rate above 10^8 atoms/s for heating powers below 250 mW.