QUIC Trap Research Articles

Bose-Einstein condensation in an electro-pneumatically transformed quadrupole-Ioffe magnetic trap

We report a novel approach for preparing a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) of 87Rb atoms using an electro-pneumatically driven transfer of atoms into a quadrupole-Ioffe magnetic trap (QUIC trap). More than 5 × atoms from a magneto-optical trap are loaded into a spherical quadrupole trap and then transferred into an Ioffe trap by moving the Ioffe coil towards the center of the quadrupole coil thereby changing the distance between the quadrupole trap center and the Ioffe coil. The transfer efficiency is more than 80%. This approach is different from the conventional approach of loading the atoms into a QUIC trap wherein the spherical quadrupole trap is transformed into a QUIC trap by changing the currents in the quadrupole and the Ioffe coils. The phase space density is then increased by forced rf evaporative cooling to achieve Bose–Einstein condensation of more than 105 atoms.

Transport of Bose-Einstein condensate in QUIC trap and separation of trapping spin states

We have studied the locomotion track of (87)Rb Bose-Einstein condensate during decompressing the trap into the center of the glass cell in a quadrupole-Ioffe configuration trap. In order to change the position of the BEC, the current in the quadrupole coils is reduced while the current in the Ioffe coil keeps constant. Because of the strongly reduced trap frequencies of the moved trap, the BEC considerably sags down due to the gravity. Thus an inflexion point exists in the process of moving BEC. When rubidium atoms go over the inflexion point, they cannot keep in balance under the gravity and the force provided by a magnetic field, and flow downward and towards Ioffe coil. By utilizing this effect, the trapped atoms with the spin state |F = 2,mF = 1>, which are left over in the BEC, can be separated from the BEC of |F = 2,mF = 2> state.

Low-Energy Collective Excitation of Bose–Einstein Condensates in an Anisotropic Magnetic Trap

We experimentally investigate the collective excitation of 87Rb Bose–Einstein condensates confined in a cigar-shaped magnetic trap (QUIC trap). Using a method of magnetic perturbation, the center-of-mass oscillation of the condensate is excited, so that the radial trapping frequency of the QUIC trap can be precisely determined. A high-order excitation, characterized by a fast shape oscillation, also occurs simultaneously, with a noticeable damping in the oscillation amplitude compared with the oscillation of the center of mass. The measured oscillation frequencies, associated with these two low-energy excitation modes, agree well with theoretical predictions based on the Gross–Pitaevskii equation.

Bose-Einstein condensation in 87Rb: characterization of the Brazilian experiment

We describe the experimental apparatus and the methods to achieve Bose-Einstein condensation in 87Rb atoms. Atoms are first laser cooled in a standard double magneto-optical trap setup and then transferred into a QUIC trap. The system is brought to quantum degeneracy selectively removing the hottest atoms from the trap by radio-frequency radiation. We also present the main theoretical aspects of the Bose-Einstein condensation phenomena in atomic gases.

Transport of a quantum degenerate heteronuclear Bose-Fermi mixture in a harmonic trap

We report on the transport of mixed quantum degenerate gases of bosonic 87Rb and fermionic 40K in a harmonic potential provided by a modified QUIC trap. The samples are transported over a distance of 6 mm to the geometric center of the anti-Helmholtz coils of the QUIC trap. This transport mechanism was implemented by a small modification of the QUIC trap and is free of losses and heating. It allows all experiments using QUIC traps to use the highly homogeneous magnetic fields that can be created in the center of a QUIC trap and improves the optical access to the atoms, e.g., for experiments with optical lattices. This mechanism may be cascaded to cover even larger distances for applications with quantum degenerate samples.

Production and measurement of Bose-Einstein condensate of 87Rb atomic gas

The research platform for Bose-Einstein condensate in 87Rb atomic gas, which is composed of a double MOT configuration and a QUIC trap, was reported. The properties of the condensate were measured both in time-of-flight and in tight confinement by the absorption imaging method. The measurements agreed with the criterions of Bose-Einstein condensation phase transition. About 2×105 atoms were pure condensed.

Cold Atom Interferometry

In this article the recent experimental works on cold atoms carried out at Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics (WIPM) are reported. These include the experimental realization of Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC), different type of cold atom interferometers, and bichromatic electromagnetically-induced transparency (EIT). We have realized Bose-Einstein condensates of 87Rb dilute atomic gases. The apparatus consists of two horizontally mounted magneto-optic-traps (MOTs) and a QUIC magnetic trap. Nearly 3×108 atoms were trapped in the second MOT, and up to 1.2×108 atoms were adiabatically transferred to the QUIC trap. A pure condensate with about 1.1×105 atoms at about 30 nK was achieved. We also demonstrated two type of cold atom interferometers, the Sagnac and Ramsey interference fringes were recorded with contrast of up to 37%.

Nonadiabatic production of spinor condensates with a quadrupole-Ioffe-configuration trap

Motivated by the recent experimental observation of multi-component spinor condensates via a time-dependent quadrupole-Ioffe-configuration trap (QUIC trap), we provide a general framework for the investigation of nonadiabatic Landau-Zener dynamics of a hyperfine spin, e.g., from an atomic magnetic dipole moment coupled to a weak time-dependent magnetic (B-) field. The spin flipped population distribution, or the so-called Majorona formula is expressed in terms of system parameters and experimental observables; thus, provides much needed insight into the underlying mechanism for the production of spinor condensates due to nonadiabatic level crossings.

Direct observation of Bose-Einstein condensation transition in 87Rb atomic gases in tightly confinement QUIC trap

By evaporative cooling in QUIC trap, Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) was achieved with 2×105 87Rb atoms in |F=2, mF=2〉 state. We have demonstrated the criterion of BEC transition by the variation of the axial size of the atoms in tight confinement, and observed phase transition from thermal atomic gases to Bose-Einstein condensate, and measured the shift of aspect ratio of BEC during free expansion, which compared with theoretical prediction.

Bose–Einstein condensation in a QUIC trap

The apparatus and procedure required to generate a pure Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) consisting of about half a million 87Rb atoms at a temperature of <60 nK with a phase density of >54 is described. The atoms are first laser cooled in a vapour cell magneto-optical trap (MOT) and subsequently transferred to an ultra-low pressure MOT. The atoms are loaded into a QUIC trap consisting of a pair of quadrupole coils and a Ioffe coil that generates a small finite magnetic field at the trap energy minimum to suppress Majorana transitions. Evaporation induced by an RF field lowers the temperature permitting the transition to BEC to be observed by monitoring the free expansion of the atoms after the trapping fields have been switched off.PACS Nos.: 03.75.Fi, 05.30.Jp, 32.80.Pj, 64.60.–i

Bose-Einstein condensation in a quadrupole-Ioffe-configuration trap

We demonstrate Bose-Einstein condensation of rubidium atoms in a simple low-power magnetic trap. This trap combines the quadrupole with the Ioffe configuration (QUIC trap) and consists of just three coils. Magneto-optically trapped ${}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ atoms are first loaded into the linear trapping potential of a magnetic quadrupole, which is then converted into the parabolic geometry of an Ioffe trap. During this process two spherical quadrupole traps with perpendicular axes merge and the trapped atomic cloud moves close to the magnetic field producing coils, resulting in tight confinement of the atoms while the power dissipation of the trap remains low. The magnetically trapped atoms are cooled to below the phase transition of Bose-Einstein condensation by rf-induced evaporation.