Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1312.5868 · Physical Review Letters

Adsorbate Electric Fields on a Cryogenic Atom Chip

K. S. Chan, M. Siercke, Christoph Hufnagel, Rainer Dumke

Published Jan 14, 2014• 38 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We investigate the behavior of electric fields originating from adsorbates deposited on a cryogenic atom chip as it is cooled from room temperature to cryogenic temperature. Using Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency, we measure the field strength versus distance from a 1 mm square of yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) patterned onto a yttria stabilized zirconia chip substrate. We find a localized and stable dipole field at room temperature and attribute it to a saturated layer of chemically adsorbed rubidium atoms on the YBCO. As the chip is cooled towards 83 K we observe a change in sign of the electric field as well as a transition from a localized to a delocalized dipole density. We relate these changes to the onset of physisorption on the chip surface when the van der Waals attraction overcomes the thermal desorption mechanisms. Our findings suggest that through careful selection of substrate materials, it may be possible to reduce the electric fields caused by atomic adsorption on chips, opening up experiments to controlled Rydberg-surface coupling schemes.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.112.026101

Related papers

Detrimental adsorbate fields in experiments with cold Rydberg gases near surfaces

H. Hattermann, Markus Mack, Florian Karlewski +3 more

We observe the shift of Rydberg levels of rubidium close to a copper surface when atomic clouds are repeatedly deposited on it. We measure transition frequencies of rubidium to $S$ and $D$ Rydberg states with principal quantum numbers $n$ between 31 and 48 using the technique of electromagnetically induced transparency. The spectroscopic measurement shows a strong increase of electric fields towards the surface that evolves with the deposition of atoms. Starting with a clean surface, we measure the evolution of electrostatic fields in the range between 30 and 300 $\ensuremath{\mu}$$\mathrm{m}$ from the surface. We find that after the deposition of a few hundred atomic clouds, each containing $\ensuremath{\sim}$${10}^{6}$ atoms, the field of adsorbates reaches 1 V/cm for a distance of 30 $\ensuremath{\mu}$m from the surface. This evolution of the electrostatic field sets serious limitations on cavity QED experiments proposed for Rydberg atoms on atom chips.

arXiv:1208.0680•Physical Review A•Aug 17, 2012•67 citations

Controlling stray electric fields on an atom chip for experiments on Rydberg atoms

D. Davtyan, Shimon Machluf, Maarten L. Soudijn +4 more

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 adsorbate 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 $0.2\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{V}/\mathrm{cm}$ at $78\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ from the chip) and even the sign of the perpendicular field component. This technique is a useful tool for experiments handling Rydberg atoms near surfaces, including atom chips.

arXiv:1710.05301•Physical Review A•Feb 22, 2018•12 citations

Spatially resolved excitation of Rydberg atoms and surface effects on an atom chip

Atreju Tauschinsky, Rutger M. T. Thijssen, S. Whitlock +2 more

We demonstrate spatially resolved, coherent excitation of Rydberg atoms on an atom chip. Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is used to investigate the properties of the Rydberg atoms near the gold-coated chip surface. We measure distance-dependent shifts ($~$$10$ MHz) of the Rydberg energy levels caused by a spatially inhomogeneous electric field. The measured field strength and distance dependence is in agreement with a simple model for the electric field produced by a localized patch of Rb adsorbates deposited on the chip surface during experiments. The EIT resonances remain narrow ($<4$ MHz) and the observed widths are independent of atom-surface distance down to $~$$20$ $\ensuremath{\mu}$m, indicating relatively long lifetime of the Rydberg states. Our results open the way to studies of dipolar physics, collective excitations, quantum metrology, and quantum information processing involving interacting Rydberg excited atoms on atom chips.

arXiv:1004.3230•Physical Review A•Jun 10, 2010•126 citations

Vortex based atom traps and atomic electrometry on a superconducting atom chip

K. S. Chan

This thesis focuses on the realization of the magnetic micro-trap using the vortex current in a superconducting structure and the measurement of the electric fi eld from the adsorbates. Persistent currents are induced in the type-II superconductor - yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) to generate a magnetic potential for the ultracold atoms. Various programmable magnetic potentials are accomplished through the manipulation of the multiple magnetic eld pulses sequence used in imprinting the vortices. A special example is the achievement of self-sustaining trap which its trapping potential is formed without any requirement for external magnetic field. A demonstration of a single trap to a four traps is also shown, indicating a possible interferometry type of experiment using\nsuperconductors. Afterwards, a focus is shifted from the magnetic fi eld towards the electric fi eld of the superconducting atom chip. By using the Rydberg state of the rubidium\natom, we perform Rydberg spectroscopy to measure the electric field above the atom chip at room temperature and cryogenic temperature. In addition, to study the temperature\ndependent adsorption, temperature is varied from room to cryogenic temperature. Model based on Langmuir equation is simulated to explain the experimental result. This thesis\nconcludes with a summary and the future outlook.

•Jan 1, 2014•1 citation

Adsorbate dynamics on a silica-coated gold surface measured by Rydberg Stark spectroscopy

Julian B. Naber, Shimon Machluf, Lara Torralbo-Campo +4 more

Trapping a Rydberg atom close to a surface is an important step towards the realisation of many proposals for quantum information processing or hybrid quantum systems. One of the challenges in these experiments is posed by the electric field emanating from contaminations on the surface. Here we report on measurements of an electric field created by 87 Rb atoms adsorbed on a 25 nm thick layer of SiO 2 , covering a 90 nm layer of Au. The electric field is measured using a two-photon transition to the and states. The electric field value that we measure is higher than typical values measured above metal surfaces, but is consistent with a recent measurement above a SiO 2 surface. In addition, we measure the temporal behaviour of the field and observe that we can reduce it in a single experimental cycle, using ultraviolet light or by mildly locally heating the surface with one of the excitation lasers, whereas the buildup of the field takes thousands of cycles. We explain these results by a change in the adatom distribution on the surface. These results indicate that, while the stray electric field can be reduced, achieving field-free conditions above a silica-coated gold chip remains challenging.

arXiv:1512.07511•Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics•Apr 20, 2016•16 citations

Trapping potentials and quantum gates for microwave-dressed Rydberg atoms on an atom chip

Iason Tsiamis, Georgios Doultsinos, Andreas F. Tzortzakakis +5 more

Rydberg atoms in dc electric fields acquire static dipole moments. When the atoms are close to a surface producing an inhomogeneous electric field, such as by the adsorbates on an atom chip, depending on the sign of the dipole moment of the Rydberg-Stark eigenstate, the atoms may experience a force toward or away from the surface. We show that by applying a bias electric field and coupling a desired Rydberg state by a microwave field of proper frequency to another Rydberg state with opposite sign of the dipole moment, we can create a trapping potential for the atom at a prescribed distance from the surface. Perfectly overlapping trapping potentials for several Rydberg states can also be created by multicomponent microwave fields. A pair of such trapped Rydberg states of an atom can represent a qubit. Finally, we discuss an optimal realization of the SWAP gate between pairs of such atomic Rydberg qubits separated by a large distance but interacting with a common mode of a planar microwave resonator at finite temperature.

arXiv:2504.10349•Physical Review Research•Dec 23, 2025•1 citation
We investigate the behavior of electric fields originating from adsorbates deposited on a cryogenic atom chip as it is cooled from room temperature to cryogenic temperature. Using Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency, we measure the field strength versus distance from a 1 mm square of yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) patterned onto a yttria stabilized zirconia chip substrate. We find a localized and stable dipole field at room temperature and attribute it to a saturated layer of chemically adsorbed rubidium atoms on the YBCO. As the chip is cooled towards 83 K we observe a change in sign of the electric field as well as a transition from a localized to a delocalized dipole density. We relate these changes to the onset of physisorption on the chip surface when the van der Waals attraction overcomes the thermal desorption mechanisms. Our findings suggest that through careful selection of substrate materials, it may be possible to reduce the electric fields caused by atomic adsorption on chips, opening up experiments to controlled Rydberg-surface coupling schemes.
We observe the shift of Rydberg levels of rubidium close to a copper surface when atomic clouds are repeatedly deposited on it. We measure transition frequencies of rubidium to SSS and DDD Rydberg states with principal quantum numbers nnn between 31 and 48 using the technique of electromagnetically induced transparency. The spectroscopic measurement shows a strong increase of electric fields towards the surface that evolves with the deposition of atoms. Starting with a clean surface, we measure the evolution of electrostatic fields in the range between 30 and 300 $\ensuremath{\mu}$m\mathrm{m}m from the surface. We find that after the deposition of a few hundred atomic clouds, each containing $\ensuremath{\sim}$106{10}^{6}106 atoms, the field of adsorbates reaches 1 V/cm for a distance of 30 $\ensuremath{\mu}$m from the surface. This evolution of the electrostatic field sets serious limitations on cavity QED experiments proposed for Rydberg atoms on atom chips.
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 adsorbate 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 0.2V/cm0.2\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{V}/\mathrm{cm}0.2V/cm at $78\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ from the chip) and even the sign of the perpendicular field component. This technique is a useful tool for experiments handling Rydberg atoms near surfaces, including atom chips.
We demonstrate spatially resolved, coherent excitation of Rydberg atoms on an atom chip. Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is used to investigate the properties of the Rydberg atoms near the gold-coated chip surface. We measure distance-dependent shifts ( ~ 101010 MHz) of the Rydberg energy levels caused by a spatially inhomogeneous electric field. The measured field strength and distance dependence is in agreement with a simple model for the electric field produced by a localized patch of Rb adsorbates deposited on the chip surface during experiments. The EIT resonances remain narrow (<4<4<4 MHz) and the observed widths are independent of atom-surface distance down to  ~ 202020 $\ensuremath{\mu}$m, indicating relatively long lifetime of the Rydberg states. Our results open the way to studies of dipolar physics, collective excitations, quantum metrology, and quantum information processing involving interacting Rydberg excited atoms on atom chips.
This thesis focuses on the realization of the magnetic micro-trap using the vortex current in a superconducting structure and the measurement of the electric fi eld from the adsorbates. Persistent currents are induced in the type-II superconductor - yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) to generate a magnetic potential for the ultracold atoms. Various programmable magnetic potentials are accomplished through the manipulation of the multiple magnetic eld pulses sequence used in imprinting the vortices. A special example is the achievement of self-sustaining trap which its trapping potential is formed without any requirement for external magnetic field. A demonstration of a single trap to a four traps is also shown, indicating a possible interferometry type of experiment using\nsuperconductors. Afterwards, a focus is shifted from the magnetic fi eld towards the electric fi eld of the superconducting atom chip. By using the Rydberg state of the rubidium\natom, we perform Rydberg spectroscopy to measure the electric field above the atom chip at room temperature and cryogenic temperature. In addition, to study the temperature\ndependent adsorption, temperature is varied from room to cryogenic temperature. Model based on Langmuir equation is simulated to explain the experimental result. This thesis\nconcludes with a summary and the future outlook.
Trapping a Rydberg atom close to a surface is an important step towards the realisation of many proposals for quantum information processing or hybrid quantum systems. One of the challenges in these experiments is posed by the electric field emanating from contaminations on the surface. Here we report on measurements of an electric field created by 87 Rb atoms adsorbed on a 25 nm thick layer of SiO 2 , covering a 90 nm layer of Au. The electric field is measured using a two-photon transition to the and states. The electric field value that we measure is higher than typical values measured above metal surfaces, but is consistent with a recent measurement above a SiO 2 surface. In addition, we measure the temporal behaviour of the field and observe that we can reduce it in a single experimental cycle, using ultraviolet light or by mildly locally heating the surface with one of the excitation lasers, whereas the buildup of the field takes thousands of cycles. We explain these results by a change in the adatom distribution on the surface. These results indicate that, while the stray electric field can be reduced, achieving field-free conditions above a silica-coated gold chip remains challenging.
Rydberg atoms in dc electric fields acquire static dipole moments. When the atoms are close to a surface producing an inhomogeneous electric field, such as by the adsorbates on an atom chip, depending on the sign of the dipole moment of the Rydberg-Stark eigenstate, the atoms may experience a force toward or away from the surface. We show that by applying a bias electric field and coupling a desired Rydberg state by a microwave field of proper frequency to another Rydberg state with opposite sign of the dipole moment, we can create a trapping potential for the atom at a prescribed distance from the surface. Perfectly overlapping trapping potentials for several Rydberg states can also be created by multicomponent microwave fields. A pair of such trapped Rydberg states of an atom can represent a qubit. Finally, we discuss an optimal realization of the SWAP gate between pairs of such atomic Rydberg qubits separated by a large distance but interacting with a common mode of a planar microwave resonator at finite temperature.