Transition of Silicon

Laser cooling and trapping of silicon would mark an important practical step in constructing a silicon-based quantum computer. At the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), a tunable 252.4 nm laser is resonant with the 3s²3p² 3P₁ → 3s²3p¹4s¹ 3P₀ transition of silicon, providing a possible path to laser cooling and trapping. For a fast-moving atomic beam, a slowing region is typically employed to increase the trapping efficiency. The most common technique is that of a Zeeman slower, in which magnetic fields and a counterpropagating laser are used to slow the incoming atoms to speeds at which they can be trapped. However, in the case of silicon, atomic level splitting caused by the introduction of magnetic fields inhibits the cycling transition. Consequently, we look to use the Stark effect, in which external electric fields are used instead to manipulate this transition. To that end, we must measure the Stark effect in 3s²3p² 3P1₁ → 3s²3p¹4s¹ 3P₀ transition of silicon, which has not been previously measured. In our experimental setup, the laser beam intercepts a silicon atomic beam at a perpendicular angle in a uniform electric field. The laser is scanned to determine the resonant frequency of the transition at different electric field strengths. Here, we will present our measurements of the Stark effect in the 3s²3p² 3P₁ → 3s²3p¹4s¹ 3P₀ transition of silicon.