We review the current status of the field of atom-surface interactions, with an emphasis on the regimes specific to atom chips. Recent developments in theory and experiment are highlighted. In particular, atom-surface interactions define physical limits for miniaturization and coherent operation. This implies constraints for applications in quantum information processing or matter wave interferometry. We focus on atom-surface interaction potentials induced by vacuum fluctuations (Van der Waals and Casimir-Polder forces), and on transitions between atomic quantum states that are induced by thermally excited magnetic near fields. Open questions and current challenges are sketched.
Nano-mechanical oscillators as well as Rydberg-atomic waveguides hosted on micro-fabricated chip surfaces hold promise to become pillars of future quantum technologies. In a hybrid platform with both, we show that beams of Rydberg atoms in waveguides can quantum-coherently interrogate and manipulate nanomechanical elements, allowing full quantum state tomography. Central to the tomography are quantum non-demolition measurements using the Rydberg atoms as probes. Quantum coherent displacement of the oscillator is also made possible, by driving the atoms with external fields while they interact …
Reduction of Magnetic Noise in Atom Chips by Material Optimization
我们讨论了金属丝中材料类型对原子芯片表面附近磁微阱中电磁涨落的贡献。我们表明，显着减少的磁噪声可以实现通过取代纯贵金属丝与它们的稀合金。合金成分提供了额外的自由度，如果原子芯片被冷却，该自由度使得能够控制磁噪声和电阻率两者的降低。此外，我们提供了一个仔细的重新分析Yu-Ju Lin等人观察到的磁致陷阱损失[Phys. Rev. Lett. 92，050404（2004）]，并发现与改进的理论很好的一致。
We describe a scheme to coherently convert a microwave photon of a superconducting co-planar waveguide resonator to an optical photon emitted into a well-defined temporal and spatial mode. The conversion is realized by a cold atomic ensemble trapped above the surface of the superconducting atom chip, near the antinode of the microwave cavity. The microwave photon couples to a strong Rydberg transition of the atoms that are also driven by a pair of laser fields with appropriate frequencies and wavevectors for an efficient wave-mixing process. With only few thousand atoms in an ensemble of moder…
Using Optimal Control Theory (OCT), we design fast ramps for the controlled transport of Bose-Einstein condensates with atom chips' magnetic traps. These ramps are engineered in the context of precision atom interferometry experiments and support transport over large distances, typically of the order of 1 mm, i.e. about 1,000 times the size of the atomic clouds, yet with durations not exceeding 200 ms. We show that with such transport durations of the order of the trap period, one can recover the ground state of the final trap at the end of the transport. The performance of the OCT procedure i…
We show that the performance and functionality of atom-chips can be transformed by using graphene-based van der Waals heterostructures to overcome present limitations on the lifetime of the trapped atom cloud and on its proximity to the chip surface. Our analysis involves Green-function calculations of the thermal (Johnson) noise and Casimir-Polder atom-surface attraction produced by the atom-chip. This enables us to determine the lifetime limitations produced by spin-flip, tunneling and three-body collisional losses. Compared with atom-chips that use thick metallic conductors and substrates, …
On-demand and efficient storage of photons is an essential element in quantum information processing and long-distance quantum communication. Most of the quantum memory protocols require bulk systems in order to store photons. However, with the advent of integrated photonic chip platforms for quantum information processing, on-chip quantum memories are highly sought after. In this paper, we propose a protocol for multi-mode photonic quantum memory using only single-atom-cavity setup. We show that a single atom containing a frequency comb coupled to an optical cavity can store photons efficient…
We study magnetic traps with very high trap frequencies where the spin is coupled to the motion of the atom. This allows us to investigate how the Born-Oppenheimer approximation fails and how effective magnetic and electric fields appear as the consequence of the non-adiabatic dynamics. The results are based on exact numerical diagonalization of the full Hamiltonian describing the coupling between the internal and external degrees of freedom. The position in energy and the decay rate of the trapping states correspond to the imaginary part of the resonances of this Hamiltonian and are computed …
We realize on an Atom-Chip a practical, experimentally undemanding, tomographic reconstruction algorithm relying on the time-resolved measurements of the atomic population distribution among atomic internal states. More specifically, we estimate both the state density matrix as well as the dephasing noise present in our system by assuming complete knowledge of the Hamiltonian evolution. The proposed scheme is based on routinely performed measurements and established experimental procedures, hence providing a simplified methodology for quantum technological applications.
Hybrid quantum systems involving cold atoms and microwave resonators can enable cavity-mediated infinite-range interactions between atomic spin systems and realize atomic quantum memories and transducers for microwave to optical conversion. To achieve strong coupling of atoms to on-chip microwave resonators, it was suggested to use atomic Rydberg states with strong electric dipole transitions. Here we report on the realization of coherent coupling of a Rydberg transition of ultracold atoms trapped on an integrated superconducting atom chip to the microwave field of an on-chip coplanar waveguid…
In this work we consider the advantages and challenges of using free-standing two-dimensional electron gases (2DEG) as active components in atom chips for manipulating ultracold ensembles of alkali atoms. We calculate trapping parameters achievable with typical high-mobility 2DEGs in an atom chip configuration, and identify advantages of this system for trapping atoms at sub-micron distances from the atom chip. We show how the sensitivity of atomic gases to magnetic field inhomogeneity can be exploited for controlling the atoms with quantum electronic devices and, conversely, using the atoms t…
Experiments handling Rydberg atoms near surfaces must necessarily deal with the high sensitivity of Rydberg atoms to (stray) electric fields that typically emanate from adsorbates on the surface. We demonstrate a method to modify and reduce the stray electric field by changing the adsorbates distribution. We use one of the Rydberg excitation lasers to locally affect the adsorbed dipole distribution. By adjusting the averaged exposure time we change the strength (with the minimal value less than $0.2\,\textrm{V/cm}$ at $78\,μ\textrm{m}$ from the chip) and even the sign of the perpendicular fiel…
Superconducting atom chips have very significant advantages in realizing trapping structures for ultracold atoms compared to conventional atom chips. We extend these advantages further by developing the ability to dynamically tailor the superconducting trap architecture. Heating the chosen parts of a superconducting film by transferring optical images onto its surface we are able to modify the current density distribution and create desired trapping potentials. This method enables us to change the shape and structure of magnetic traps, enabling versatile applications in atomtronics.
Hybrid quantum systems that unite laser-cooled trapped ions and ultracold quantum gases in a single experimental setup have opened a rapidly advancing field of study, including Quantum chemistry, polaron physics, quantum information processing and quantum simulations. We present a fully developed and tested ion trap chip and propose a flat chip trap that can be placed beneath the ion trap. This design substantially addresses the difficulties specific to hybrid traps and features well-aligned chips that allow for independent adjustment of the depth of the atomic trap and the confinement and pos…
This work reviews the topic of rotation sensing with compact cold atom interferometers. A representative set of compact free-falling cold atom gyroscopes is considered because, in different respects, they establish a rotation-measurement reference for cold guided-atom technologies. This review first discusses enabling technologies relevant to a set of key functional building blocks of an atom chip-based compact inertial sensor with cold guided atoms. These functionalities concern the accurate and reproducible positioning of atoms to initiate a measurement cycle, the coherent momentum transfer …
