title: Beam splitter for guided atoms.
abstract: We have designed and experimentally studied a simple beam splitter for guided atoms realized with a current carrying Y-shaped wire nanofabricated on a surface (atom chip). Such a Y-configuration beam splitter has many advantages compared to conventional designs based on tunneling, especially that it will enable robust beam splitting. This and other similar designs can be integrated into more sophisticated surface-mounted atom optical devices at the mesoscopic scale.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Experimentalphysik, Universität Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cassettari
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hessmo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Folman
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schmiedmayer