We demonstrate a simple scheme to achieve fast, accelerating (runaway) evaporative cooling of optically trapped atoms by tilting the optical potential with a magnetic field gradient. Runaway evaporation is possible in this trap geometry due to the weak dependence of vibration frequencies on trap depth, which preserves atomic density during the evaporation process. Using this scheme, we show that Bose-Einstein condensation with $\sim {10}^5$ cesium atoms can be realized in $2–4\mathrm{s}$ of forced evaporation. The evaporation speed and energetics are consistent with the three-dimensional evaporation picture, despite the fact that atoms can only leave the trap in the direction of tilt.

• Received 4 April 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.78.011604