Fast loading of a magneto-optical trap from a pulsed thermal source

We report an efficient method to load atoms into a magneto-optical trap. A resistively heated alkali metal dispenser, which is mounted close to the trapping region, serves as a compact, pulsed source for Rb atoms. The atoms are captured by the magneto-optical trap within less than 3 s at a loading rate of more than 107 atoms per second. The lifetime of the trapped atoms exceeds the filling time by about 30 s.