Phys.org  October 26, 2021 Compact cold-atom sensors depend on vacuum technology. One of the major limitations to miniaturizing these sensors is the active pumps that are required to sustain the low pressure needed for laser cooling. Although passively pumped chambers have been proposed as a solution to this problem, technical challenges have prevented successful operation at the levels needed for cold-atom experiments. A team of researchers in the US (Sandia National Laboratory, University of Oklahoma) has demonstrated a vacuum package that is independent of ion pumps for more than a week. It can sustain a cloud of cold atoms in […]