Ring shaped traps and State dependent manipulation and interference
When applying circular polarization one can create ring shaped traps and one has to take the ‘handedness’ of the atomic state into account (given by the sign of the g-factor). In particular, an atom in a hyperfine state with sgn(gF)=-1 will see the potential formed by the opposite handedness than an atom with sgn(gF)=+1. Consequently, potentials created by circularly, or more general elliptically, polarized RF can be used for a state-dependent manipulation of trapped atoms. We demonstrate dir handedness for Rb atoms in the F=2, mF=2 state interacting with left and right circular polarized RF. In one case one obtains a ring shaped potential distorted by gravity which shows peculiar interference, in the other the potential says nearly unchanged.
