Abstract

We present a novel technique for confining atoms in a very tight magnetic trap in order to achieve BEC. Our system uses electromagnets with a soft iron core, combining switching with strong magnetic fields [1]. Six poles are arranged in a Ioffe configuration to produce a minimum at the trap center near which the field strength varies quadratically. We mapped the field with a Hall probe and found maximum field gradients of 1.5 kG/cm along the quadrupole axes. We use laminated materials throughout to reduce eddy currents and can turn the field on and off in less than one ms.

© 1998 IEEE