Miniaturized optical system for a chip-based cold-atom inertial sensor.

We miniaturized the complex optical system responsible for the cooling, pumping, and imaging of an on-chip-based cold-atom inertial sensor. This optical bench uses bonded miniature optics and includes all the necessary optical functions. The bench has a volume of 35×25×5. We developed a laser frequency lock adapted to the optical bench using saturated absorption in a rubidium cell. The entire laser source based on frequency doubling of 1.56 µm fiber lasers, including the control system and the saturated absorption module, fits in a 5 rack. Using the miniaturized bench, we realized two- and three-dimensional magneto-optical traps for rubidium 87 atoms.