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BEC emerges from the desert

First observation:
BEC! - report: Sept. 23, 2005
Group:
Anderson United States of America
Authors and contributors
David Scherer, Chad Weiler, Tyler Neely, and Brian P. Anderson

Anderson graph

Figure 1: In-trap phase-contrast images and false-color plots of Rb-87 atoms undergoing Bose-Einstein condensation in a ~7.4 Hz (radial) by ~14.1 Hz (axial) TOP trap. Atom number in the BEC image is ~106.

  • Atom: Rb87, |F=1, mF = -1>
  • Trap: standard TOP trap (dB/dz=300G/cm, Bbias_final=5G)
  • Method: 2 chamber, magnetic transfer from MOT cell to science cell
  • Evaporative cooling: 60 seconds, RF + circle-of-death forced evaporation
  • Condensate atom number: ~105 atoms on first observation, optimized to 10^6
  • Critical temperature: ~200 nK on first observation

Anderson group

Figure 2: The UA BEC team. Seated in front, L-to-R: Tyler Neely, Chad Weiler. Standing, L-to-R: David Scherer, Brian Anderson.

Vortex lattice

Anderson graph

Hexagonal lattice of vortex cores in a BEC, observed with absorption imaging and ballistic expansion. Created by first forming the BEC in a weak symmetric TOP trap, then by rotating an elliptical potential about the condensate. 23 Jun 2006