Experiments with a laser cooled cloud of atoms

Natarajan, Vasant and Banerjee, Ayan and Rapol, Umakant (1999) Experiments with a laser cooled cloud of atoms. In: Current Science, 76 (2). pp. 216-221.

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Abstract

We discuss two experiments that can be performed using a cloud of laser-cooled and trapped atoms, namely Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) and search for a permanent Electric Dipole Moment (EDM). BEC can be observed in Rb atoms in a magnetic trap by using forced evaporative cooling to continuously lower the temperature below the condensation limit. The cloud is cooled by preferentially ejecting the hottest atoms from a magnetic trap. The magnetic trap is loaded with laser-cooled atoms from a magneto-optic trap. The EDM experiment can be performed with a laser-cooled cloud of Yb atoms. The atoms are spin polarized and the precession of the spin is measured in the presence of a strong electric field applied perpendicular to the spin direction. The use of laser-cooled atoms should greatly enhance the sensitivity of the experiment.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Additional Information:	The copyright belongs to Indian Academy of Sciences.
Keywords:	laser;cooled atoms;Bose Einstein Condensation;BEC;Electric Dipole Moment;EDM
Department/Centre:	Division of Physical & Mathematical Sciences > Physics
Date Deposited:	10 Jan 2007
Last Modified:	19 Sep 2010 04:15
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ernet.in/id/eprint/1570

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