Progress towards a rapid production of a two-species mixture of quantum degenerate Bose and Fermi gases

We present the design and construction of a novel apparatus to rapidly generate a mixture of quantum degenerate $^{\mathrm{6}}$Li Fermi and $^{\mathrm{23}}$Na Bose gases. Sodium and lithium atoms are collected in a two-species magnetic-optical trap and cooled to around 40 microKelvin through a three-step polarization gradient cooling process. The cold dense atomic clouds are then transferred to a tightly-focused crossed optical trap. Sodium Bose-Einstein condensates are generated from evaporation and rethermalization via a simple all-optical approach, while a quantum degenerate $^{\mathrm{6}}$Li Fermi gas is produced through interspecies sympathetic cooling. We also discuss how to optimize the efficiency of sympathetic cooling in the $^{\mathrm{23}}$Na-$^{\mathrm{6}}$Li system.