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"Atom chips" allow the manipulation of ultra-cold laser cooled atoms
using microfabricated wire structures. Current-carrying wires on the
chip surface generate inhomogeneous magnetic fields, allowing cold
atoms to be held by the same forces as those in the famous
Stern-Gerlach experiment. By varying the currents in the wires, the
atoms can be squeezed into small volumes, and put at specific
distances away from surfaces. I will discuss some of the applications
of these atom chips to fundamental physics, including the production
and study of Bose-Einstein condensates and fluctuating fields near
surfaces. |