LOW-TEMPERATURE PHYSICS WITHOUT A CRYOSTAT - LASER COOLING AND TRAPPING OF ATOMS

In recent years, there has been significant interest in the laser mani pulation of neutral atoms, and specifically in the use of light fields to manipulate not only the internal but also the external coordinates of an atom. Among the mast dramatic results of this work have been th e production of dense ultra-cold samples of trapped neutral atoms. The se samples have been used to expand the horizons of fundamental physic s and have made possible significant advancements in metrology. Furthe rmore, the ability to manipulate atomic motion with light has helped t o create entirely new fields of research such as atom optics where mat ter wave analogues of light wave systems are investigated and optical where light is used to create a periodic array of atoms similar to cry stals. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S1063-777X(98)01302-4] .