We present first results on our implementation of a laser based accelerator
for ultracold atoms. Atoms cooled to a temperature of 420 nK are confined and
accelerated by means of laser tweezer beams and the atomic scattering is
directly observed in laser absorption imaging. The optical collider has been
characterized using Rb87 atoms in the |F=2,mF=2> state, but the scheme is not
restricted to atoms in any particular magnetic substates and can readily be
extended to other atomic species as well.Comment: (c) 2012 The Optical Society, 3 pages, 4 figures, 1 movie lin
