Transport of Bose-Einstein condensate in QUIC trap and separation of trapping spin states

Abstract

We have studied the locomotion track of (87)Rb Bose-Einstein condensate during decompressing the trap into the center of the glass cell in a quadrupole-Ioffe configuration trap. In order to change the position of the BEC, the current in the quadrupole coils is reduced while the current in the Ioffe coil keeps constant. Because of the strongly reduced trap frequencies of the moved trap, the BEC considerably sags down due to the gravity. Thus an inflexion point exists in the process of moving BEC. When rubidium atoms go over the inflexion point, they cannot keep in balance under the gravity and the force provided by a magnetic field, and flow downward and towards Ioffe coil. By utilizing this effect, the trapped atoms with the spin state |F = 2,mF = 1>, which are left over in the BEC, can be separated from the BEC of |F = 2,mF = 2> state.