A strongly confining dipole trap for rubidium atoms

Full text: Cold rubidium atoms from a 2-dimensional MOT are accumulated in a conventional 3-d MOT and transferred into a dipole trap produced by a 1 W Ti:sapphire laser which is tuned to 810 nm and focused to a waist of about 15 micron. We achieve trapping frequencies above the recoil frequency, such that the Lamb-Dicke regime of cooling can be reached, and we observe trap lifetimes of several seconds. We report about the experimental setup and the characterization of the trap. We also present the first steps towards a blue-detuned trap consisting of two crossed hollow laxer beams. (author)