We report the development and experimental demonstration of a femtosecond pulsed optical dipole trap for neutral atoms (rubidium) in which spectral filtering of the broadband laser light is used to significantly increase atom trapping lifetime. This spectral filtering removes near-resonant frequency components, reducing atom heating and allowing atoms to remain trapped much longer — comparable to lifetimes in traps formed by monochromatic continuous-wave light.
The study demonstrates that effective spectral filtering of broadband pulsed light is essential for achieving long-lived atomic localization in femtosecond optical traps, especially when broad spectral components would otherwise lead to rapid atom loss.
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