Propagation of guided cold atoms

In this article we focus on the propagation of a beam of particles guided by a transversely confining potential. We consider different regimes. In the classical regime, we describe the beam by means of a set of hydrodynamic-like equations. We apply this formalism in order to investigate two practical ways for increasing the collision rate: by using a constriction or by tilting the guide. A high enough collision rate is indeed the most crucial prerequisite for reaching the quantum degenerate regime by means of evaporative cooling. In the quantum regime, we study the propagation of bosonic atoms through a constriction in two opposite regimes: the collision-less one and the Thomas-Fermi one.