THE QUEST FOR BOSE-EINSTEIN CONDENSATION IN ATOMIC-HYDROGEN

In the past decade attempts to observe BEC in spin-polarized atomic hydrogen have been thwarted by either recombination and related hearing or rapid relaxation. Currently several ideas are being developed which have great promise. I;or a 3-D gas, static magnetic traps have been used to isolate atoms from walls where they recombine, but BEC has nor been achieved due to enhanced spin-relaxation and inadequate defection sensitivity. A microwave trap which can confine atoms in the ground stale, to suppress spin-relaxation, has been demonstrated for Cs and is being developed for hydrogen. In 2-D, techniques have been developed to greatly reduce healing of the 2-D layer so that high coverages can be achieved at low temperature to observe both the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition and BEG.