Massachusetts Inst. of Tech. Report

Magnetic trapping of neutral atoms

Vanderlei Salvador Bagnato, Gregory P. Lafyatis, Alexander G. Martin, Eric L. Raab, Riyad Ahman-Bitar

Published Jan 1, 1987• 0 citations

Abstract

Abstract : The program is to slow, trap and cool neutral atoms. Laser light is used to slow and cool atoms and magnetic forces are used to trap them. Ultimately we hope to be able to trap atoms for days and cool them to temperatures on the order of .000001 K in addition to the interesting scientific and technical challenges involved in trapping and cooling atoms, we hope to open several new lines of investigation with these cooled atoms. Cold trapped atoms constitute a good system for studying collective phenomena such as Bose condensation, low energy - Na and Na - Na, and coherent optical effects (the deBrogile wavelength can exceed the optical wavelength). They also offer opportunities for performing ultra-high resolution spectroscopy and are extremely promising candidates for a new generation of frequency standards.

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