A novel all-optical surface atomic (molecular) funnel

We propose a novel scheme to build an all-optical surface atomic (or molecular) funnel using an optical system consisting of three cylindrical lenses, which can be used to produce a funnel-shaped intensity distribution near the focal plane of the last lens when the optical system is illuminated by a red-detuned Gaussian laser beam. We calculate the corresponding intensity distribution, the optical dipole potential and its dipole force for Na-23 atoms. Our study shows that the proposed atom (or molecular) funnel can be used for the efficient loading of cold atoms in the surface optical guid, beam splitter and interferometer and surface microtrap, and so on. So our funnel has important applications in the integrated atom optics and its atom chip.