Bose-Einstein Condensation of Strontium

Abstract

We report on the attainment of Bose-Einstein condensation with ultracold strontium atoms. We use the (84)Sr isotope, which has a low natural abundance but offers excellent scattering properties for evaporative cooling. Accumulation in a metastable state using a magnetic-trap, narrowline cooling, and straightforward evaporative cooling in an optical trap lead to pure condensates containing 1.5 x 10(5) atoms. This puts (84)Sr in a prime position for future experiments on quantum-degenerate gases involving atomic two-electron systems.