A method for cooling an atomic object confined by an atomic object confinement apparatus, the method comprising: controlling, by a controller associated with the atomic object confinement apparatus, a first manipulation source to provide a first manipulation signal to a particular region of the atomic object confinement apparatus; and controlling, by the controller, a second manipulation source to provide a second manipulation signal to the particular region of the atomic object confinement apparatus, wherein: the atomic object to be cooled is located in the particular region of the atomic object confinement apparatus, the first manipulation signal is characterized by a first wavelength corresponding to a first transition between a first clock state of an S manifold and a P manifold of a first component of the atomic object and detuned from the first transition by a first detuning, the second manipulation signal is characterized by a second wavelength corresponding to a second transition between a second clock state of the S manifold and the P manifold of the first component of the atomic object and detuned from the second transition by a second detuning, the first and second detunings are selected to establish a dark state associated with a two photon transition between the first clock state and the second clock state. controlling, by a controller associated with the atomic object confinement apparatus, a first manipulation source to provide a first manipulation signal to a particular region of the atomic object confinement apparatus; and controlling, by the controller, a second manipulation source to provide a second manipulation signal to the particular region of the atomic object confinement apparatus, wherein: the atomic object to be cooled is located in the particular region of the atomic object confinement apparatus, the first manipulation signal is characterized by a first wavelength corresponding to a first transition between a first clock state of an S manifold and a P manifold of a first component of the atomic object and detuned from the first transition by a first detuning, the second manipulation signal is characterized by a second wavelength corresponding to a second transition between a second clock state of the S manifold and the P manifold of the first component of the atomic object and detuned from the second transition by a second detuning, the first and second detunings are selected to establish a dark state associated with a two photon transition between the first clock state and the second clock state. the atomic object to be cooled is located in the particular region of the atomic object confinement apparatus, the first manipulation signal is characterized by a first wavelength corresponding to a first transition between a first clock state of an S manifold and a P manifold of a first component of the atomic object and detuned from the first transition by a first detuning, the second manipulation signal is characterized by a second wavelength corresponding to a second transition between a second clock state of the S manifold and the P manifold of the first component of the atomic object and detuned from the second transition by a second detuning, the first and second detunings are selected to establish a dark state associated with a two photon transition between the first clock state and the second clock state.