Experimental development to produce and study quantum gases: Bose-Einstein condensation / Desenvolvimento experimental para produção e estudo de gases quânticos: condensação de Bose-Einstein
AUTOR(ES)
Sérgio Ricardo Muniz
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO
2002
RESUMO
We present here all the experimental development obtained in São Carlos to produce and study quantum degenerate gases, aiming specially the realization of Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC) in sodium (Na-23) atoms. In order to do that we designed, built and completely integrated a complex experimental setup which conjugates most of the techniques developed along the last decades to produce cold atoms: atomic beam slowing, magnetic and magneto-optical trapping, optical sub-Doppler cooling, forced evaporative cooling induced by radio-frequency (RF), controlling of high gradient and curvature magnetic fields for atom trapping and the image acquisition and processing of atomic samples near absolute zero temperatures. During this period we did the first and most important step, also the most difficult, of our current project to study quantum gases, which was the development and realization of all the experimental apparatus. However, this work is not just about instrumentation, and along the way we also did important scientific contributions to the cold atom field, as whole. These contributions resulted in several publications, listed in appendix III, but they do not constitute the focus of this work, which main goal is the study of macroscopically quantum degenerate gases.
ASSUNTO(S)
evaporative cooling quantum gases resfriamento evaporativo induzido por rf aprisionamento magnético condensação de bose-einstein gases quânticos macroscopically ocupied quantum state bose-einstein condensation magnetic trapping
