Optimized magneto-optical trap for experiments with ultracold atoms near surfaces

Abstract

We present an integrated wire-based magneto-optical trap for the simplified trapping and cooling of large numbers of neutral atoms near material surfaces. With a modified $\mathrm{U}$-shaped current-carrying $\text{Cu}$ structure we collect more than $3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{8}$ $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ atoms in a mirror magneto-optical trap without using quadrupole coils. These atoms are subsequently loaded to a $\mathrm{Z}$-wire trap where they are evaporatively cooled to a Bose-Einstein condensate close to the surface.