| We cooled and trapped francium in a high efficiency magneto-optical trap. The francium is produced artificially in a nuclear fusion reaction using the Stony Brook superconducting LINAC. We observed an average trap population of 50,000 210Fr, corresponding to a trapping efficiency of 1.2%. The trapped atoms are cooled to a temperature of 75 μK.; We used the new trapping apparatus for spectroscopic studies of the 9S 1/2 level of 210Fr to test the precision of atomic theory. We measured the hyperfine splitting of the 9S1/2 level, and with time-correlated single photon counting, we measured its radiative lifetime. We found a lifetime of 107.53 ± 0.80 ns and a hyperfine splitting of 4045.1 ± 1.1 MHz.; We characterized the optical properties of a dipole trap based on an axicon lens to provide a low perturbation environment for precision spectroscopy. The axicon generates a region of darkness surrounded by light. For blue-detuned light, cold atoms are trapped in the dark region and experience almost no perturbing fields.; This work continues the spectroscopic studies of francium for tests of atomic theory and opens the way for nuclear anapole moment measurements. |
