US Patent 11291103 Uniaxial counter-propagating monolaser atom trap

A uniaxial counter-propagating monolaser atom trap cools and traps atoms with a single a laser beam and includes: an atom slower that slows atoms to form slowed atoms; an optical diffractor including: a first diffraction grating that receives primary light and produces first reflected light; a second diffraction grating that receives primary light and produces second reflected light; and a third diffraction grating that receives the primary light and produces third reflected light; and a trapping region that forms trap light from the reflected lights and receives slowed atoms to produce trapped atoms from the slowed atoms that interact with the trap light.