atomSmltr: a modular Python package to simulate laser cooling setups

We introduce atomSmltr, a Python package for simulating laser cooling in complex magnetic field and laser beams geometries. The package features a modular design that enables users to easily construct experimental setups, including magnetic fields, laser beams and other environment components, and to perform a range of simulations within these configurations. We present the overall architecture of atomSmltr and illustrate its capabilities through a series of examples, including benchmarks against standard textbook cases in laser cooling.

💡 Research Summary

The paper presents atomSmltr, a Python‑based, modular library designed to simulate laser cooling and magneto‑optical trapping (MOT) in arbitrary three‑dimensional configurations of laser beams and magnetic fields. The authors motivate the work by noting that, while many atomic‑physics simulation codes exist in C++, MATLAB, and other languages, there is a gap for a user‑friendly, Python‑native package focused specifically on laser cooling. atomSmltr fills this niche by offering a clear workflow: (1) define environment objects (laser beams, magnetic fields, forces, zones), (2) combine them into a Configuration object, and (3) run a Simulation on that configuration.

The core architecture separates concerns cleanly. Environment objects share a common interface: each has a unique tag, a .get_value() method that returns position‑dependent scalar or vector quantities, and utility methods for inspection and plotting. Laser beams are implemented as Gaussian or plane‑wave types, with a dedicated polarization module that automatically decomposes the polarization into σ± and π components relative to the local magnetic field. Magnetic fields can be simple offsets, linear gradients, or full quadrupole configurations, and the package can import fields generated by the external magpylib library.

Physical modeling is deliberately minimalistic. atomSmltr currently supports only J = 0 → 1 electric‑dipole transitions, which is sufficient for species such as bosonic Yb, Sr, and for an effective model of Rb D2 used in the examples. The radiation pressure force follows the standard two‑level expression
( \mathbf{F}{rad}= \hbar \mathbf{k},\frac{\Gamma}{2},\frac{s}{1+s} )
with the saturation parameter ( s = I/I{sat} \big/ \big