Transferring laser-cooled atoms to a spatially separated magnetic trap using a far-off resonance optical guide

The size of alkali vapour Bose-Einstein condensates is determined by the nu mber of atoms which can be collected in a magneto-optical trap. This number is limited by processes involving near-resonant light. A possible techniqu e to exceed the number limit is to load a conservative trap which is spatia lly separated from the laser cooling region. Here we report on an experimen t where cold atoms are transferred From a magneto-optical trap to a spatial ly separated magnetic trap using an optically guided atomic fountain. This technique offers efficient transfer without requiring any near-resonant lig ht. The extension to multiple and continuous loading is discussed, and we c onclude that loading a spatially separated conservative trap offers a promi sing route towards steady-state Bose-Einstein condensation.