Combined magnetic field system for atom chips

Abstract

In this paper, we have developed a combined magnetic field system to explore an alternative technical route for the generation of Bose–Einstein condensates containing numerous atoms on an atom chip. The system is characterized by the fact that the quadrupole magnetic field required by the magneto-optic trap is generated by U-shaped current-carrying wires combined with bias magnetic fields, whereas the quadrupole magnetic field adopted for the magnetic trap is generated by anti-Helmholtz coils. By fine-tuning the bias magnetic fields, the collection of atoms in the mirror MOT and the loading of the quadrupole magnetic trap can be optimized. The initial number of [Formula: see text]Rb atoms in the magnetic trap is approximately [Formula: see text], and the lifetime of the atoms is over 30 s. This scheme can facilitate the chip-surface design and is suitable for the precise manipulation of Bose–Einstein condensates near the chip surface.