title: Bose-Einstein condensates near a microfabricated surface.
abstract: Magnetically and optically confined Bose-Einstein condensates were studied near a microfabricated surface. Condensate fragmentation observed in microfabricated magnetic traps was not observed in optical dipole traps at the same location. The measured condensate lifetime was >or=20 s and independent of the atom-surface separation under both magnetic and optical confinement. Radio-frequency spin-flip transitions driven by technical noise were directly observed for optically confined condensates and could limit the condensate lifetime in microfabricated magnetic traps.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms, and Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Leanhardt
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Chikkatur
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kielpinski
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ketterle
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Pritchard