Simulated Laser Cooling and Magneto-Optical Trapping of Group IV Atoms

We present a scheme for laser cooling and magneto-optical trapping of the Group IV (a.k.a. Group 14 or tetrel) atoms silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), tin (Sn), and lead (Pb). These elements each possess a strong Type-II transition (J → J' = J-1) between the metastable s²p² \,³ P₁ state and the excited s²ps'\, ³P₀ᵒ state at an accessible laser wavelength, making them amenable to laser cooling and trapping. We focus on the application of this scheme to Sn, which has several features that make it attractive for precision measurement applications. We perform numerical simulations of atomic beam slowing, capture into a magneto-optical trap (MOT), and subsequent sub-Doppler cooling and compression in a blue-detuned MOT of Sn atoms. We also discuss a realistic experimental setup for realizing a high phase-space density sample of Sn atoms.