Bose–Einstein condensation in a mm-scale Ioffe–Pritchard trap

We have constructed a mm-scale Ioffe–Pritchard trap capable of providing axial field curvature of 7800 G/cm2 with only 10.5 A of driving current. Our novel fabrication method involving electromagnetic coils formed of anodized aluminum strips is compatible with ultra-high vacuum conditions, as demonstrated by our using the trap to produce Bose–Einstein condensates of 10687Rb atoms. The strong axial curvature gives access to a number of experimentally interesting configurations such as tightly confining prolate, nearly isotropic, and oblate spheroidal traps, as well as traps with variable tilt angles with respect to the nominal axial direction.