Atom trapping with a thin magnetic film

Abstract

We have created a Rb-87 Bose-Einstein condensate in a magnetic trapping potential produced by a hard disk platter written with a periodic pattern. Cold atoms were loaded from an optical dipole trap and then cooled to Bose-Einstein condensation on the surface with radio-frequency evaporation. Fragmentation of the atomic cloud due to imperfections in the magnetic structure was observed at distances closer than 40 孠from the surface. Attempts to use the disk as an atom mirror showed dispersive effects after reflection.