Cold Atoms in a Hollow Mirror Trap

We present a novel and simple vapour-cell magneto-optical atom trap in a pyramidal and a conical hollow mirror cavity. A single laser beam having modulation sidebands at microwaves is used for cooling, trapping and repumping of rubidium atoms. When the laser is circularly polarized and sent into the hollow region, three pairs of counterpropagating beams are automatically produced therein, having the same polarization configuration as in the conventional six beam magneto-optical trap. The precooled atom sources thus produced may be used to obtain much colder and denser atoms for study of their quantum statistical properties.