Progress on creating Bose--Einstein condensate bubbles in low-earth orbit using Science Module 3 (SM3) of the Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL)

A Bose–Einstein condensate confined to the surface of a thin shell is predicted to exhibit novel properties due in part to its topology, including modified collective modes and vortex dynamics. Although shell potentials have been created using static magnetic fields dressed by radio-frequency radiation, experimental realization of these bubbles is hampered by Earth's gravitational field, which pools the atoms earthward. The Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL) aboard the International Space Station (ISS) offers a particularly elegant solution by allowing the experiments to be conducted on its user facility in the microgravity environment of low earth orbit. We report on progress in creating ultracold bubbles in rf-dressed traps using the most recent CAL apparatus, Science Module 3 (SM3), taking advantage of its capabilities of dual-axis imaging, Stern-Gerlach techniques, and Bragg spectroscopy.