Showing papers by "Chris J. Vale published in 2003"
TL;DR: The loss of atoms from the microtrap due to spin flips are observed, induced by radio-frequency thermal fluctuations of the magnetic field near the surface, as predicted but not previously observed.
Abstract: We describe an experiment in which Bose-Einstein condensates and cold atom clouds are held by a microscopic magnetic trap near a room-temperature metal wire 500 microm in diameter The lifetime for atoms to remain in the microtrap is measured over a range of distances down to 27 microm from the surface of the metal We observe the loss of atoms from the microtrap due to spin flips These are induced by radio-frequency thermal fluctuations of the magnetic field near the surface, as predicted but not previously observed
203 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a microscopic Ioffe-Pritchard trap is formed using a straight, current-carrying wire, together with suitable auxiliary magnetic fields, and it is shown that the decrease of this field with distance from the center of the wire is well described by the Bessel function.
Abstract: A microscopic Ioffe-Pritchard trap is formed using a straight, current-carrying wire, together with suitable auxiliary magnetic fields. By measuring the distribution of cold rubidium atoms held in this trap, we detect a weak magnetic field component $\Delta B_z$ parallel to the wire. This field is proportional to the current in the wire and is approximately periodic along the wire with period $\lambda=230 \mu$m. We find that the decrease of this field with distance from the centre of the wire is well described by the Bessel function $K_1(2\pi y/\lambda)$, as one would expect for the far field of a transversely oscillating current within the wire.
1 citations