1,970 research outputs found
Applications of Integrated Magnetic Microtraps
Lithographically fabricated circuit patterns can provide magnetic guides and
microtraps for cold neutral atoms. By combining several such structures on the
same ceramic substrate, we have realized the first ``atom chips'' that permit
complex manipulations of ultracold trapped atoms or de Broglie wavepackets. We
show how to design magnetic potentials from simple conductor patterns and we
describe an efficient trap loading procedure in detail. Applying the design
guide, we describe some new microtrap potentials, including a trap which
reaches the Lamb-Dicke regime for rubidium atoms in all three dimensions, and a
rotatable Ioffe-Pritchard trap, which we also demonstrate experimentally.
Finally, we demonstrate a device allowing independent linear positioning of two
atomic clouds which are very tightly confined laterally. This device is well
suited for the study of one-dimensional collisions.Comment: 10 pages, 17 figure
Limits to phase resolution in matter wave interferometry
We study the quantum dynamics of a two-mode Bose-Einstein condensate in a
time-dependent symmetric double-well potential using analytical and numerical
methods. The effects of internal degrees of freedom on the visibility of
interference fringes during a stage of ballistic expansion are investigated
varying particle number, nonlinear interaction sign and strength as well as
tunneling coupling. Expressions for the phase resolution are derived and the
possible enhancement due to squeezing is discussed. In particular, the role of
the superfluid - Mott insulator cross-over and its analog for attractive
interactions is recognized.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure
Proposed magneto-electrostatic ring trap for neutral atoms
We propose a novel trap for confining cold neutral atoms in a microscopic
ring using a magneto-electrostatic potential. The trapping potential is derived
from a combination of a repulsive magnetic field from a hard drive atom mirror
and the attractive potential produced by a charged disk patterned on the hard
drive surface. We calculate a trap frequency of [29.7, 42.6, 62.8] kHz and a
depth of [16.1, 21.8, 21.8] MHz for [133Cs, 87Rb, 40K], and discuss a simple
loading scheme and a method for fabrication. This device provides a
one-dimensional potential in a ring geometry that may be of interest to the
study of trapped quantum degenerate one-dimensional gases.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; revised, including new calculations and further
discussio
Resonator-Aided Single-Atom Detection on a Microfabricated Chip
We use an optical cavity to detect single atoms magnetically trapped on an
atom chip. We implement the detection using both fluorescence into the cavity
and reduction in cavity transmission due to the presence of atoms. In
fluorescence, we register 2.0(2) photon counts per atom, which allows us to
detect single atoms with 75% efficiency in 250 microseconds. In absorption, we
measure transmission attenuation of 3.3(3)% per atom, which allows us to count
small numbers of atoms with a resolution of about 1 atom.Comment: 4.1 pages, 5 figures, and submitted to Physical Review Letter
Increasing the coherence time of Bose-Einstein-condensate interferometers with optical control of dynamics
Atom interferometers using Bose-Einstein condensate that is confined in a
waveguide and manipulated by optical pulses have been limited by their short
coherence times. We present a theoretical model that offers a physically simple
explanation for the loss of contrast and propose the method for increasing the
fringe contrast by recombining the atoms at a different time. A simple,
quantitatively accurate, analytical expression for the optimized recombination
time is presented and used to place limits on the physical parameters for which
the contrast may be recovered.Comment: 34 Pages, 8 Figure
Trapping cold atoms near carbon nanotubes: thermal spin flips and Casimir-Polder potential
We investigate the possibility to trap ultracold atoms near the outside of a
metallic carbon nanotube (CN) which we imagine to use as a miniaturized
current-carrying wire. We calculate atomic spin flip lifetimes and compare the
strength of the Casimir-Polder potential with the magnetic trapping potential.
Our analysis indicates that the Casimir-Polder force is the dominant loss
mechanism and we compute the minimum distance to the carbon nanotube at which
an atom can be trapped.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure
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