An all optical dynamical dark trap for neutral atoms.

We describe the experimental realization of a dynamical optical trap for atoms: the Rotating Off-resonant Dipole Optical (RODiO) Trap. A blue detuned circularly scanned laser beam creates a time averaged ;;box" for the atoms. We characterized this novel confinement technique by varying the trapping geometry and the laser beam parameters. Our observations agree well with a numerical model.

Studies of two-species Bose-Einstein condesation.

We describe our recent progress on the investigation of two-species Bose-Einstein condensation. From a theoretical analysis we show that there is a new rich phenomenology associated with two-species Bose-Einstein condensates which does not exist in a single-species condensate. We then describe results of a numerical model of the evaporative cooling process of a trapped two-species gas.