arXiv:quant-ph/0003135 · Physical Review Letters

Beam Splitter for Guided Atoms

Donatella Cassettari, Björn Hessmo, R. Folman, Thomas Maier, Jörg Schmiedmayer

Published Dec 25, 2000• 221 citations

Abstract

We have designed and experimentally studied a simple beam splitter for guided atoms realized with a current carrying Y-shaped wire nanofabricated on a surface (atom chip). Such a Y-configuration beam splitter has many advantages compared to conventional designs based on tunneling, especially that it will enable robust beam splitting. This and other similar designs can be integrated into more sophisticated surface-mounted atom optical devices at the mesoscopic scale.

DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.85.5483

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