arXiv · cond-mat/0308434
Cold atoms probe the magnetic field near a wire
Abstract
A microscopic Ioffe-Pritchard trap is formed using a straight, current-carrying wire, together with suitable auxiliary magnetic fields. By measuring the distribution of cold rubidium atoms held in this trap, we detect a weak magnetic field component $ΔB_z$ parallel to the wire. This field is proportional to the current in the wire and is approximately periodic along the wire with period $λ=230 μ$m. We find that the decrease of this field with distance from the centre of the wire is well described by the Bessel function $K_1(2πy/λ)$, as one would expect for the far field of a transversely oscillating current within the wire.
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M. P. A. Jones, C. J. Vale, D. Sahagun, B. V. Hall, C. C. Eberlein, B. E. Sauer, K. Furusawa, D. Richardson, E. A. Hinds. 2003-08-21. Cold atoms probe the magnetic field near a wire. https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-4075%2F37%2F2%2Fl01
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