Refractive components for magnetic atom optics

With strong rare-earth permanent magnets we have built highly refractive atom-optical components for laser-cooled atoms. We have studied the influence of axially symmetric multipole components on a cesium atomic beam. In analogy to traditional optics the action of a quadrupole ring parallels a conical prism, or axicon. Hexapole lenses were applied for focusing with a more than 1000-fold increase in atomic flux density at the focal spot and for imaging with the atomic beam. Two hexapole lenses were combined to form a telescope, which was operated off axis in order to separate fast thermal and slowed atoms. The experiments can approximately be described in terms of geometrical optics. © 1996 The American Physical Society.