Cold atoms

What is it about?

A review of the field of cold atoms, on the occasion of the international year of light. Using light, it is possible to mechanically trap neutral particles, such as atoms, and to cool such ensembles to the lowest temperatures ever measured. The last decades, this has become one of the most prominent and successful current fields of physics. In this article, we review this evolution and delineate the current state of the field.

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Why is it important?

This is a commissioned focus article, on the occasion of the international year of light, 2015.