2004/11/09 by Matthew J Pritchard, Aidan S. Arnold, Aidan S Arnold +4 · 2 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Atomic and Molecular Physics #Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #physics.atom-ph #physics.optics
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/0953-4075/37/22/004
published as J. Phys. B, 37 4435 (2004) · 16 pages, 7 figures
openalex publication_date 2004/11/09 · arxiv created 2005/12/15 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
We have theoretically investigated the focusing of a launched cloud of cold atoms. Time-dependent spatially-varying magnetic fields are used to impart impulses leading to a three-dimensional focus of the launched cloud. We discuss possible coil arrangements for a new focusing regime: isotropic 3D focusing of atoms with a single-impulse magnetic lens. We investigate focusing aberrations and find that, for typical experimental parameters, the widely used assumption of a purely harmonic lens is often inaccurate. The baseball lens offers the best possibility for isotropically focusing a cloud of weak-field-seeking atoms in 3D.