Patent ID: 8288712

Claim:
Guided Coherent Atom Source ( 1 ) comprising: an alkaline, alkaline earth or rare earth atom source for generating neutral alkaline, alkaline earth or rare earth atoms in a gaseous state ( 2 ); means for cooling the atoms gas ( 3 ); means for generating a magnetic field ( 4 ), comprising an electro-magnetic micro-chip ( 6 ) deposited on a surface ( 18 ) of a substrate ( 14 ), for condensing the atoms in a magnetic trap; means for generating an electro-magnetic RF field comprising at least one of i) electrical wires, ii) an external antenna, and iii) an integrated antenna for extracting the condensed atoms trapped in the magnetic trap; and optical means ( 10 ) comprising a diode laser ( 20 ) for emitting and directing an optical coherent beam ( 12 ) toward the condensed atoms able to guide the condensed atoms, wherein, the optical means ( 10 ) and the electro-magnetic micro-chip ( 6 ) are integrated onto the same substrate ( 14 ), and the substrate surface comprises an optical coating ( 26 ) able to reflect at the trapping wavelength for <<hot>> atoms and is transparent at the wavelength of the optical coherent beam ( 12 ).