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arXiv · 1912.04849

The Bose-Einstein Condensate and Cold Atom Laboratory

Kai Frye·Sven Abend·Wolfgang Bartosch·Ahmad Bawamia·Dennis Becker·Holger Blume·Claus Braxmaier·Sheng-Wey Chiow·Maxim A. Efremov·Wolfgang Ertmer·Peter Fierlinger·Naceur Gaaloul·Jens Grosse·Christoph Grzeschik·Ortwin Hellmig·Victoria A. Henderson·Waldemar Herr·Ulf Israelsson·James Kohel·Markus Krutzik·Christian Kürbis·Claus Lämmerzahl·Meike List·Daniel Lüdtke·Nathan Lundblad·J. Pierre Marburger·Matthias Meister·Moritz Mihm·Holger Müller·Hauke Müntinga·Tim Oberschulte·Alexandros Papakonstantinou·Jaka Perovšek·Achim Peters·Arnau Prat·Ernst M. Rasel·Albert Roura·Wolfgang P. Schleich·Christian Schubert·Stephan T. Seidel·Jan Sommer·Christian Spindeldreier·Dan Stamper-Kurn·Benjamin K. Stuhl·Marvin Warner·Thijs Wendrich·André Wenzlawski·Andreas Wicht·Patrick Windpassinger·Nan Yu·Lisa Wörner
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Abstract

Microgravity eases several constraints limiting experiments with ultracold and condensed atoms on ground. It enables extended times of flight without suspension and eliminates the gravitational sag for trapped atoms. These advantages motivated numerous initiatives to adapt and operate experimental setups on microgravity platforms. We describe the design of the payload, motivations for design choices, and capabilities of the Bose-Einstein Condensate and Cold Atom Laboratory (BECCAL), a NASA-DLR collaboration. BECCAL builds on the heritage of previous devices operated in microgravity, features rubidium and potassium, multiple options for magnetic and optical trapping, different methods for coherent manipulation, and will offer new perspectives for experiments on quantum optics, atom optics, and atom interferometry in the unique microgravity environment on board the International Space Station.

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Kai Frye, Sven Abend, Wolfgang Bartosch, Ahmad Bawamia, Dennis Becker, Holger Blume, Claus Braxmaier, Sheng-Wey Chiow, Maxim A. Efremov, Wolfgang Ertmer, Peter Fierlinger, Naceur Gaaloul, Jens Grosse, Christoph Grzeschik, Ortwin Hellmig, Victoria A. Henderson, Waldemar Herr, Ulf Israelsson, James Kohel, Markus Krutzik, Christian Kürbis, Claus Lämmerzahl, Meike List, Daniel Lüdtke, Nathan Lundblad, J. Pierre Marburger, Matthias Meister, Moritz Mihm, Holger Müller, Hauke Müntinga, Tim Oberschulte, Alexandros Papakonstantinou, Jaka Perovšek, Achim Peters, Arnau Prat, Ernst M. Rasel, Albert Roura, Wolfgang P. Schleich, Christian Schubert, Stephan T. Seidel, Jan Sommer, Christian Spindeldreier, Dan Stamper-Kurn, Benjamin K. Stuhl, Marvin Warner, Thijs Wendrich, André Wenzlawski, Andreas Wicht, Patrick Windpassinger, Nan Yu, Lisa Wörner. 2019-12-10. The Bose-Einstein Condensate and Cold Atom Laboratory. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjqt/s40507-020-00090-8

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