Guiding neutral atoms on a chip

Phys Rev Lett. 2000 Feb 7;84(6):1124-7. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.84.1124.

Abstract

We demonstrate the guiding of neutral atoms by the magnetic fields due to microfabricated current-carrying wires on a chip. Atoms are guided along a magnetic field minimum parallel to and above the current-carrying wires. Two guide configurations are demonstrated: one using two wires with an external magnetic field, and a second using four wires without an external field. These guide geometries can be extended to integrated atom optics circuits, including beam splitters.