Abstract
We investigate the possibility of obtaining Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) in a steady state by continuously loading atoms into a magnetic trap while keeping the frequency of the radio frequency field fixed. A steady state is obtained when the gain of atoms due to loading is balanced with the three dominant loss mechanisms due to elastic collisions with hot atoms from the background gas, inelastic three-body collisions, and evaporation. We describe our model of this system and present results of calculations of the peak phase-space density in order to investigate the conditions under which one can reach the regime and attain BEC in steady state.
- Received 7 October 1997
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.57.2030
©1998 American Physical Society