Simultaneous magneto-optical trapping of three atomic species

We report on the simultaneous trapping of two fermionic species, ⁶Li and ⁴⁰K, and a bosonic species, ⁸⁷Rb, demonstrating the first three-species magneto-optical trap (“triple MOT”). The apparatus including the atom sources and the three laser systems is described, and the single-species MOTs and the triple MOT are characterized. In triple MOT operation, typical atom numbers of 3.2×10⁷ for ⁶Li, 1.5×10⁷ for ⁴⁰K, and 5.4×10⁹ for ⁸⁷Rb were achieved. Trap loss due to interspecies collisions was observed. We describe our way to optimize the triple MOT and turn it into a suitable source for the goal to achieve quantum degeneracy by evaporative and sympathetic cooling.