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Quasi-2D Confinement of a BEC in a Combined Optical and Magnetic Potential

N. L. Smith, W. H. Heathcote, G. Hechenblaikner, E. Nugent, C. J. Foot

cond-mat.otherarXiv:cond-mat/0410101

Abstract

We have added an optical potential to a conventional Time-averaged Orbiting Potential (TOP) trap to create a highly anisotropic hybrid trap for ultracold atoms. Axial confinement is provided by the optical potential; the maximum frequency currently obtainable in this direction is 2.2 kHz for rubidium. The radial confinement is independently controlled by the magnetic trap and can be a factor of 700 times smaller than in the axial direction. This large anisotropy is more than sufficient to confine condensates with ~105 atoms in a Quasi-2D (Q2D) regime, and we have verified this by measuring a change in the free expansion of the condensate; our results agree with a variational model.

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