Case Studies
Bose Einstein Condensation at Georgia Institute of Technology
Images supplied by Chapman Research Labs, Prof. Michael Chapman's research group
at the School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta,
Georgia.
Prof Chapman's research is focused on investigating the quantum behavior of atoms
and photons, often at the single particle level. Lasers are employed to confine
and cool atoms to nano-Kelvin temperatures, which are used for studies including
fundamental atom-photon interactions, atom optics and interferometry, and quantum
computing and communication.
Fluorescent image of 1000 atoms that are transported by an optical dipole force trap
into a high finesse microcavity.
Time trace derived from small number of atoms in magneto- optical trap.
A Bose-Einstein condensate of 17,000 rubidium-87 atoms is created directly in a 1-D
optical lattice formed by two counter-propagating CO2 laser beams. The absorption
image shown here here is taken 10 ms after the condensate is released from the optical
trap.
Fluorescent images of magneto-optical trap (MOT) containing 0 - 4 atoms. iXon DV-887
used with 4x4 pixel binning
Low-light fluorescence image of one million trapped rubidium atoms cooled to micro
Kelvin temperatures. The gaseous atoms are confined at the intersection of three
focused, off-resonant laser beams, and the image was taken by briefly illuminating
the atoms with resonant laser light.