Guiding and trapping a neutral atom on a wire

Abstract

A neutral atom with a magnetic moment can be bound to a current carrying wire. The atom is trapped in the high-field-seeking state and stabilized by angular momentum. In an atomic-beam experiment the guiding of Na atoms along a 1-m-long, 150-μm-diam, current carrying, tungsten wire is demonstrated. By adding a charged ring around the wire one can create a three-dimensional microscopic trap for neutral atoms. These traps confine the atoms in the lowest-energy spin state.