Bose-Einstein condensation in 87Rb: characterization of the Brazilian experiment

we describe the experimental apparatus and the methods to achieve bose-einstein condensation in 87rb atoms. atoms are first laser cooled in a standard double magneto-optical trap setup and then transferred into a quic trap. the system is brought to quantum degeneracy selectively removing the hottest atoms from the trap by radio-frequency radiation. we also present the main theoretical aspects of the bose-einstein condensation phenomena in atomic gases.