We describe the preparation of ultra cold atomic clouds in a dilution refrigerator. The closed cycle 3He/4He cryostat was custom made to provide optical access for laser cooling, optical manipulation and detection of atoms. We show that the cryostat
meets the requirements for cold atom experiments, specifically in terms of operating a magneto-optical trap, magnetic traps and magnetic transport under ultra high vacuum conditions. The presented system is a step towards the creation of a quantum hybrid system combining ultra cold atoms and solid state quantum devices.
Hybrid quantum systems made of cold atoms near nanostructured surfaces are expected to open up new opportunities for the construction of quantum sensors and for quantum information. For the design of such tailored quantum systems the interaction of a
lkali atoms with dielectric and metallic surfaces is crucial and required to be understood in detail. Here, we present real-time measurements of the adsorption and desorption of Rubidium atoms on gold nanofilms. Surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) are excited at the gold surface and detected in a phase sensitive way. From the temporal change of the SPP phase the Rubidium coverage of the gold film is deduced with a sensitivity of better than 0.3 % of a monolayer. By comparing the experimental data with a Langmuir type adsorption model we obtain the thermal desorption rate and the sticking probability. In addition, also laser-induced desorption is observed and quantified.
