Laser Cooled Atoms in Space:
New Vistas in Fundamental Physics Research

Recent advances in laser cooling and trapping of atoms have produced exciting new results including the observation of Bose-Einstein condensation and prospects for atom lasers. These advances, believed to be a sample of many more to come, hold the promise for providing the physics community with exciting new areas of research, as well as significant future technological applications. Despite these prospects in the laboratory, many interesting research problems in laser cooling and atomic physics require the micro-gravity environment of space. This talk will cover some of the relevant aspects of laser cooling and trapping, and will introduce the current plans by NASA to support space based research in this area. Opportunities for graduate student research at JPL in laser cooling and trapping will also be discussed.