Bose-Einstein condensation in a magnetic double-well potential

Abstract

We present the first experimental realisation of Bose-Einstein condensation in a purely magnetic double-well potential. This has been realised by combining a static Ioffe-Pritchard trap with a time orbiting potential (TOP). The double trap can be rapidly switched to a single harmonic trap of identical oscillation frequencies thus accelerating the two condensates towards each other. Furthermore, we show that time averaged potentials can be used as a means to control the radial confinement of the atoms. Manipulation of the radial confinement allows vortices and radial quadrupole oscillations to be excited.