Continuous Stopping and Trapping of Neutral Atoms

V. S. Bagnato; G. P. Lafyatis; A. G. Martin; E. L. Raab; R. N. Ahmad-Bitar; D. E. Pritchard

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.58.2194

Continuous Stopping and Trapping of Neutral Atoms

V. S. Bagnato, G. P. Lafyatis, A. G. Martin, E. L. Raab, R. N. Ahmad-Bitar, and D. E. Pritchard

Phys. Rev. Lett. 58, 2194 – Published 25 May 1987

Abstract

Neutral sodium atoms have been continuously loaded into a 0.1-K-deep superconducting magnetic trap with laser light used to slow and stop them. At least 1 × $10^{9}$ atoms were trapped with a decay time of 2½ min. The fluorescence of the trapped atoms was studied as a function of time; possible loss mechanisms from the trap are discussed.

Received 19 February 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.58.2194

Authors & Affiliations

V. S. Bagnato^*, G. P. Lafyatis, A. G. Martin, E. L. Raab, R. N. Ahmad-Bitar^†, and D. E. Pritchard

Department of Physics and Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139

^*Permanent address: Instituto de Física e Quimica de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, 13 560 São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil.
^†Permanent address: Department of Physics, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.