Foreword: Laser Cooling and Trapping of Neutral Atoms

Abstract

Electromagnetic interactions can be used to act on atoms, to manipulate them, to control their various degrees of freedom. With the development of laser sources, this research field has considerably expanded during the last few years. Methods have been developed to trap atoms and to cool them to very low temperatures. The purpose of this paper is to review the physical processes which are at the basis of this research field, and to present some of its most remarkable applications [1].