Darmstadt 2008 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 50: Poster Ultrakalte Atome

Q 50.12: Poster

Thursday, March 13, 2008, 16:30–19:00, Poster C2

CO2-Laser Optical Dipole Trap for Fermionic Potassium Atoms — •Alexander Gatto, Christian Bolkart, Sylvi Händl, and Martin Weitz — Institut für Angewandte Physik, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Wegelerstrasse 8, 53115 Bonn, Deutschland

All optical techniques for the cooling of atoms toward quantum degeneracy are especially attractive for fermions, since in contrast to most magnetic trap techniques no additional atomic species for sympathetic cooling are required here. We here report on ongoing work aiming at an all-optical preparation of a 40K Fermi gas in a CO2-laser dipole trap, which will be used for the study of strongly correlated Fermi gases in optical lattices. Initially, we load a magneto-optical trap of 40K atoms from a two-dimensional MOT. Subsequently, the atomic density is increased in a compressed MOT, for which the magnetic field gradient is ramped towards higher values. Our CO2-laser dipole trap realized by a single mid-infrared focussed beam is loaded from this ensemble of cold atoms, in which further cooling by means of evaporative cooling will be performed. The present status of the work will be reported.