Efficient magneto-optical trapping of a metastable helium gas

This article presents a new experiment aiming at BEC of metastable helium a toms. It describes the design of a high flux discharge source of atoms and a robust laser system using a DBR diode coupled with a high power Yb doped fiber amplifier for manipulating the beam of metastable atoms. The atoms ar e trapped in a small quartz cell in an extreme high vacuum. The trapping de sign uses an additional laser (repumper) and allows the capture of a large number of metastable helium atoms (approximately 10(9)) in a geometry favor able for loading a tight magnetostatic trap.