Magnetic Waveguide for Trapping Cold Atom Gases in Two Dimensions

Abstract

We have devised a way to trap atoms above a magnetic surface using the Zeeman effect. The method is generally applicable to any paramagnetic atom with hyperfine structure and results in very strong confinement and, hence, a high vibrational frequency perpendicular to the surface. This allows the atomic de Broglie wave to propagate as in a single-mode 2D waveguide. We show how atoms can be continuously and unidirectionally coupled with high efficiency into the lowest mode of the waveguide. This invention makes possible the study of weakly interacting gases in 2D.