Abstract

Until now Bose-Einstein condensation has only been achieved for atoms in the first group of the periodic table : H, Li, Na and Rb. The goal of our experiment is to obtain this phase transition in a gas of ultra-cold metastable (2³S₁) helium atoms, using a combination of laser cooling, magnetic trapping and evaporative cooling. Dense cold samples of metastable helium are a well-suited tool for surface potential studies and precision measurements.

© 2000 IEEE