Atom guiding and cooling by a dark hollow laser beam

Atom guiding in an atomic funnel is very useful for many interesting atom optical experiments requiring the precise control of atomic motion. We have obtained a doughnut-shaped laser beam by coupling a Ti:sapphire laser into a hollow core optical fiber and collimating the output laser beam of the fiber with a microscope objective lens. Using such a doughnut-shaped laser beam [2 mm inner diameter and a 5 mm outer diameter at the trapping position (about 1m away from the objective lens)l, we have guided the trapped cold Rb atoms in the atomic funnel.