Laser Induced Condensation of Bosonic Gases in Traps

Abstract

We consider collective laser cooling of atomic gas in the Festina lente regime, when the heating effects associated with photon reabsorptions are suppressed. We demonstrate that an appropriate sequence of laser pulses allows to condense a gas of trapped bosonic atoms into the ground level of the trap in the presence of collisions. Such condensation is robust and can be achieved in experimentally feasible traps. We extend significantly the validity of our previous numerical studies, and present new analytic results concerning condensation in the limit of rapid thermalization. We discuss in detail necessary conditions to realize all optical condensate in weak condensation regime and beyond.

11 pages, 6 eps figures; largely extended quant-ph/9812025, new analytic and numerical results are presented