Bose-Einstein condensation of metastable helium in a bi-planar quadrupole Ioffe configuration trap

Abstract

Using a novel magnetic trapping geometry we have evaporatively cooled metastable helium atoms to form a Bose-Einstein condensate containing approximately one million atoms. This is only the fourth demonstration of a metastable condensate and the first realisation of a BEC in a bi-planar quadrupole Ioffe configuration magnetic trap.