Atom optical elements for Bose-Einstein condensates

A simple model for atom optical elements for Bose-Einstein condensate of trapped, dilute alkali-metal atoms is proposed, and numerical simulations are presented to illustrate its characteristics. We demonstrate ways of focusing and splitting the condensate by modifying experimentally adjustable parameters. We show that there are at least two ways of implementing atom optical elements: one may modulate the interatomic scattering length in space or, alternatively, use a sinusoidal, externally applied potential.