Apparatus for producing single strontium atoms in an optical tweezer array

We outline an experimental setup for efficiently preparing a tweezer array of ⁸⁸Sr atoms. Our setup uses permanent magnets to maintain a steady-state two-dimensional magneto-optical trap (MOT) which results in a loading rate of up to 10⁸ s⁻¹ at 5 mK for the three-dimensional blue MOT. This enables us to trap 2 × 10⁶⁸⁸Sr atoms at 2 μK in a narrow-line red MOT with the ¹S₀ → ³P₁ intercombination transition at 689 nm. With the Sisyphus cooling and pairwise loss processes, single atoms are trapped and imaged in 813 nm optical tweezers, exhibiting a lifetime of 2.5 min. We further investigate the survival fraction of a single atom in the tweezers and characterize the optical tweezer array using a release and recapture technique. Our experimental setup serves as an excellent reference for those engaged in experiments involving optical tweezer arrays, cold atom systems, and similar research.