arXiv:cond-mat/0406341 · Physical Review A
Optically plugged quadrupole trap for Bose-Einstein condensates
D. Naik, Chandra Raman
Abstract
We created sodium Bose-Einstein condensates in an optically plugged quadrupole magnetic trap. A focused, 532-nm laser beam repelled atoms from the coil center where Majorana loss is significant. We produced condensates containing up to $3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{7}$ atoms, a factor of 60 improvement over previous work and a number comparable to the best all-magnetic traps, and transferred up to $9\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{6}$ atoms into a purely optical trap. We compare our observations with a simple model of evaporative cooling, concluding that a laser in the range of 1 W (rather than 5 W) may suffice.