The Bose-Einstein Condensate and Cold Atom Laboratory

Microgravity eases several constraints limiting experiments with ultracold and condensed atoms on ground. It enables extended times of flight without suspension and eliminates the gravitational sag for trapped atoms. These advantages motivated numerous initiatives to adapt and operate experimental setups on microgravity platforms. We describe the design of the payload, motivations for design choices, and capabilities of the Bose-Einstein Condensate and Cold Atom Laboratory (BECCAL), a NASA-DLR collaboration. BECCAL builds on the heritage of previous devices operated in microgravity, features rubidium and potassium, multiple options for magnetic and optical trapping, different methods for coherent manipulation, and will offer new perspectives for experiments on quantum optics, atom optics, and atom interferometry in the unique microgravity environment on board the International Space Station.

微重力环境可缓解地面开展超冷与简并原子实验时面临的多项约束：无需悬挂装置即可延长原子飞行时长，同时消除陷俘原子的重力沉降效应。这类优势催生了诸多将实验装置适配并部署于微重力平台的研究项目。本文介绍了美国国家航空航天局与德国航天中心（NASA-DLR）联合研制的玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚与冷原子实验室（Bose-Einstein Condensate and Cold Atom Laboratory，BECCAL）的有效载荷设计、设计选型的动因以及各项性能指标。BECCAL继承了此前在轨微重力实验装置的技术积淀，可操控铷与钾两种原子，提供磁陷俘与光陷俘的多种方案以及多种相干操控手段，并将在国际空间站（International Space Station）独特的微重力环境中，为量子光学、原子光学以及原子干涉测量相关实验提供全新的研究视角。