Experiment design with Galilean beam expanders for magneto-optical traps and the advanced undergraduate laboratory

This paper presents a compound lens experiment design suitable for upper-division undergraduate laboratory courses in which teams of students constructed and measured the properties of Galilean beam expanders. Skill in developing Galilean beam expanders is useful for undergraduates who will build a magneto-optical trap in a follow-on course. This laboratory experiment was performed by third-year undergraduate students in our applied optics course and provided students with the opportunity to gain knowledge about lasers, lenses, and alignment of optical components prior to their laboratory work building a magneto-optical trap.