Large magnetic storage ring for Bose-Einstein condensates

Abstract

Cold atomic clouds and Bose-Einstein condensates have been stored in a $10\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{cm}$ diameter vertically oriented magnetic ring. An azimuthal magnetic field enables low-loss propagation of atomic clouds over a total distance of $2\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{m}$, with a heating rate of less than $50\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nK}∕\mathrm{s}$. The vertical geometry was used to split an atomic cloud into two counter-rotating clouds which were recombined after one revolution. The system will be ideal for studying condensate collisions and ultimately Sagnac interferometry.