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All-Optical Bose-Einstein Condensates in Microgravity

Atomic Physics 2019-12-18 v2 Quantum Physics

Abstract

We report on the all-optical production of Bose-Einstein condensates in microgravity using a combination of grey molasses cooling, light-shift engineering and optical trapping in a painted potential. Forced evaporative cooling in a 3-m high Einstein elevator results in 4×1044 \times 10^4 condensed atoms every 13.5 s, with a temperature as low as 35 nK. In this system, the atomic cloud can expand in weightlessness for up to 400 ms, paving the way for atom interferometry experiments with extended interrogation times and studies of ultra-cold matter physics at low energies on ground or in Space.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1906.10063,
  title  = {All-Optical Bose-Einstein Condensates in Microgravity},
  author = {Gabriel Condon and Martin Rabault and Brynle Barrett and Laure Chichet and Romain Arguel and Hodei Eneriz-Imaz and Devang Naik and Andrea Bertoldi and Baptiste Battelier and Arnaud Landragin and Philippe Bouyer},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1906.10063},
  year   = {2019}
}

Comments

4 pages + references, 5 figures

R2 v1 2026-06-23T10:02:09.043Z