A CO/sub 2/ laser optical lattice with cold rubidium atoms

Summary form only given.We report here the successful trapping of rubidium atoms in the antinodes of a standing wave near 10.6 /spl mu/m. This represents the realization of an optical lattice with usually large lattice period, being approximately seven times that of the excitation wavelength of the lowest electronic resonance. In a later three-dimensional configuration, more than one atom per microscopic trap could be captured at moderate average atomic densities, whereas in conventional optical lattices, only a few percent of the lattice sites are occupied.