  We propose a method to reach conditions of high degeneracy in a trapped Fermi
gas, based on the adiabatic transfer of atoms from a magnetic to a tighter
optical trap. The transformation yields a large increase of the Fermi energy,
without a significant change of the temperature. The large enhancement of the
central density emphasizes the role of the interactions and makes the system
much closer to the BCS transition. An estimate of the time needed to achieve
the conditions of adiabaticity is also given.
