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Journal of Physics Conference Series

Atom optics with Bose–Einstein condensates: quantum reflection and interferometry

Thomas A. Pasquini, Gyu-Boong Jo, Michele Saba, Yong-il Shin, Sebastian Will, David E. Pritchard, Wolfgang Ketterle

Published Jan 1, 2005• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We present recent results on atom optics with Bose–Einstein condensates obtained at MIT. These results demonstrate the flexibility of micro-fabricated atom traps (atom-chips) and the interaction of Bose–Einstein condensates with surfaces through normal incidence quantum reflection.
DOI
10.1088/1742-6596/19/1/023

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Atom chips are a reliable and versatile tool for the production and control of Bose-Einstein Condensates (BECs). They also offer the possibility of realising new, chip-based quantum devices. We have recently produced BECs on an atom chip fabricated with silver foil. Because of its high current capacity, our chip can produce moderately tight traps at distances further from the chip surface, avoiding losses and fragmentation of condensates seen on other experiments. We will also report on our progress towards efficient atom detection using a STIRAP based photoionisation scheme.
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