Bose-Einstein condensation in a stiff TOP trap with adjustable geometry

We report on the realization of a stiff magnetic trap with independently adjustable trap frequencies, ωz and ωr, in the axial and radial directions, respectively. This has been achieved by applying an axial modulation to a time-averaged orbiting potential (TOP) trap. The frequency ratio of the trap, ωz/ωr, can be decreased continuously from the original TOP trap value of 2.83 down to 1.6. We have transferred a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) into this trap and obtained very good agreement between its observed anisotropic expansion and the hydrodynamic predictions. Our method can be extended to obtain a spherical trapping potential, which has a geometry of particular theoretical interest.