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:1503.07825 · Physical Review A

Resonant interaction of trapped cold atoms with a magnetic cantilever tip

Cris Montoya, Jose Valencia, Andrew A. Geraci, Matthew Eardley, John Moreland, Leo W. Hollberg, John E. Kitching

Published Jun 26, 2015• 9 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Magnetic resonance in an ensemble of laser-cooled trapped Rb atoms is excited using a microcantilever with a magnetic tip. The cantilever is mounted on a multilayer chip designed to capture, cool, and magnetically transport cold atoms. The coupling is observed by measuring the loss from a magnetic trap as the oscillating cantilever induces Zeeman-state transitions in the atoms. Interfacing cold atoms with mechanical devices could enable probing and manipulating atomic spins with nanometer spatial resolution and single-spin sensitivity, leading to new capabilities in quantum computation, quantum simulation, and precision sensing.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.91.063835

Related papers

Bose-Einstein Condensate Coupled to a Nanomechanical Resonator on an Atom Chip

Philipp Treutlein, David Hunger, Stephan Camerer +2 more

We theoretically study the coupling of Bose-Einstein condensed atoms to the mechanical oscillations of a nanoscale cantilever with a magnetic tip. This is an experimentally viable hybrid quantum system which allows one to explore the interface of quantum optics and condensed matter physics. We propose an experiment where easily detectable atomic spin flips are induced by the cantilever motion. This can be used to probe thermal oscillations of the cantilever with the atoms. At low cantilever temperatures, as realized in recent experiments, the backaction of the atoms onto the cantilever is significant and the system represents a mechanical analog of cavity quantum electrodynamics. With high but realistic cantilever quality factors, the strong coupling regime can be reached, either with single atoms or collectively with Bose-Einstein condensates. We discuss an implementation on an atom chip.

arXiv:quant-ph/0703199•Physical Review Letters•Oct 3, 2007•207 citations

Ultra-cold mechanical resonators coupled to atoms in an optical lattice | NIST

Andrew A. Geraci, John E. Kitching

We propose an experiment utilizing an array of cooled microcantilevers coupled to a sample of ultracold atoms trapped near a microfabricated surface. The cantilevers allow individual lattice site addressing for atomic state control and readout, and potentially may be useful in optical lattice quantum computation schemes. Assuming resonators can be cooled to their vibrational ground state, the implementation of a two-qubit controlled-NOT gate with atomic internal states and the motional states of the resonator is described. We also consider a protocol for entangling two or more cantilevers on the atom chip with different resonance frequencies, using the trapped atoms as an intermediary. Although similar experiments could be carried out with magnetic microchip traps, the optical confinement scheme we consider may exhibit reduced near-field magnetic noise and decoherence. Prospects for using this system for tests of quantum mechanics at macroscopic scales or quantum information processing are discussed.

Physical Review•Sep 17, 2009•0 citations

Magnetic Resonance in an Atomic Vapor Excited by a Mechanical Resonator

Matthew Eardley, Y.-J. Wang, S. Knappe +3 more

We demonstrate direct resonant interaction between a magnetic cantilever and Rubidium atomic spin. The coupled system may enable development of low-power, high performance sensors as well as cold atom manipulation and quantum control.

Frontiers in Optics•Jan 1, 2006•2 citations

Ultracold mechanical resonators coupled to atoms in an optical lattice

Andrew A. Geraci, John E. Kitching

We propose an experiment utilizing an array of cooled microcantilevers coupled to a sample of ultracold atoms trapped near a microfabricated surface. The cantilevers allow individual lattice site addressing for atomic state control and readout, and potentially may be useful in optical lattice quantum computation schemes. Assuming resonators can be cooled to their vibrational ground state, the implementation of a two-qubit controlled-NOT gate with atomic internal states and the motional states of the resonator is described. We also consider a protocol for entangling two or more cantilevers on the atom chip with different resonance frequencies, using the trapped atoms as an intermediary. Although similar experiments could be carried out with magnetic microchip traps, the optical confinement scheme we consider may exhibit reduced near-field magnetic noise and decoherence. Prospects for using this system for tests of quantum mechanics at macroscopic scales or quantum information processing are discussed.

arXiv:0906.4726•Physical Review A•Sep 17, 2009•25 citations

A cold atom apparatus for the microscopy of thin membranes

Amruta Gadge

Ultracold atomic gases can be utilised as extremely sensitive probes of their surrounding environment. In particular, samples of ultracold atoms confined using chip-based microtraps are an ideal tool for mapping electric and magnetic field landscapes. Over the course of this thesis, a new experiment capable of performing surface microscopy using magnetically trapped clouds of cold rubidium-87 atoms has been built. The focus of the work is on the design and construction of the experimental system, which must incorporate many different aspects for manipulating thermal atomic gases, with a view to positioning them at sub-micron distances from special surfaces. This reduced atom-surface separation is necessary for implementing a high resolution, high sensitivity magnetic field sensor with cold atoms. Although current microfabrication techniques easily enable trapping at distances on the order of micrometres, several distance-dependent surface effects - such as the Casimir-Polder force, Johnson-Nyquist noise, and stray potentials - eventually impede magnetic trapping at the sub-micron level. These surface effects can greatly modify the confining potentials, which reduces the trap depth and consequently leads to an additional loss rate of atoms from the trap. We have explored the possibility of using special surfaces such as nano-membranes of silicon nitride and graphene, which have reduced atom- surface interactions, to enable trapping distances at the sub-micron level. A multilayer printed circuit board chip has been designed to form an initial magnetic trap and then transport the cloud of atoms to a desired location over the samples. This chip, along with various samples, is mounted on a custom-made electrical feedthrough designed to make connections to all conductor that are inside the vacuum chamber. The initial cloud of cold atoms can then be prepared in the central region of the chip and delivered to the location of the samples on either side. The experimental system is able to routinely capture over 10^8 rubidium-87 atoms at a temperature of 80 micro-Kelvin in a magneto-optical trap using a novel scheme of five laser beams. A method is demonstrated for enhancing the atom number in the magneto-optical traps by a factor of two by using laser beams with two slightly different frequencies. Atoms from the magneto-optical trap are then transferred to a purely magnetic trap formed by the wires on the printed circuit board chip. Time-dependent currents in the chip wires then create a dynamic potential, which is shown to successfully transport the atomic sample over a distance of 12 millimetre with minimal atom loss. This thesis describes the development of the apparatus in detail, along with careful characterisation of the cold cloud at various stages of the experimental sequence. Initial results on the long distance atom transport are presented. Finally, the experimental results of the two frequency magneto-optical trap for atom number improvement are discussed.

•Jul 19, 2018•0 citations

Coupling to Trapped Atoms with a Magnetic Cantilever

Matthew Eardley, Y.-J. Wang, John Moreland +2 more

We are interested in using a magnetic microfabricated cantilever to both magnetically trap and drive transitions in laser-cooled Rb atoms. We ascertain the feasibility and show a possible scenario for such an experiment.

Frontiers in Optics•Jan 1, 2007•0 citations
Magnetic resonance in an ensemble of laser-cooled trapped Rb atoms is excited using a microcantilever with a magnetic tip. The cantilever is mounted on a multilayer chip designed to capture, cool, and magnetically transport cold atoms. The coupling is observed by measuring the loss from a magnetic trap as the oscillating cantilever induces Zeeman-state transitions in the atoms. Interfacing cold atoms with mechanical devices could enable probing and manipulating atomic spins with nanometer spatial resolution and single-spin sensitivity, leading to new capabilities in quantum computation, quantum simulation, and precision sensing.
We theoretically study the coupling of Bose-Einstein condensed atoms to the mechanical oscillations of a nanoscale cantilever with a magnetic tip. This is an experimentally viable hybrid quantum system which allows one to explore the interface of quantum optics and condensed matter physics. We propose an experiment where easily detectable atomic spin flips are induced by the cantilever motion. This can be used to probe thermal oscillations of the cantilever with the atoms. At low cantilever temperatures, as realized in recent experiments, the backaction of the atoms onto the cantilever is significant and the system represents a mechanical analog of cavity quantum electrodynamics. With high but realistic cantilever quality factors, the strong coupling regime can be reached, either with single atoms or collectively with Bose-Einstein condensates. We discuss an implementation on an atom chip.
We propose an experiment utilizing an array of cooled microcantilevers coupled to a sample of ultracold atoms trapped near a microfabricated surface. The cantilevers allow individual lattice site addressing for atomic state control and readout, and potentially may be useful in optical lattice quantum computation schemes. Assuming resonators can be cooled to their vibrational ground state, the implementation of a two-qubit controlled-NOT gate with atomic internal states and the motional states of the resonator is described. We also consider a protocol for entangling two or more cantilevers on the atom chip with different resonance frequencies, using the trapped atoms as an intermediary. Although similar experiments could be carried out with magnetic microchip traps, the optical confinement scheme we consider may exhibit reduced near-field magnetic noise and decoherence. Prospects for using this system for tests of quantum mechanics at macroscopic scales or quantum information processing are discussed.
We propose an experiment utilizing an array of cooled microcantilevers coupled to a sample of ultracold atoms trapped near a microfabricated surface. The cantilevers allow individual lattice site addressing for atomic state control and readout, and potentially may be useful in optical lattice quantum computation schemes. Assuming resonators can be cooled to their vibrational ground state, the implementation of a two-qubit controlled-NOT gate with atomic internal states and the motional states of the resonator is described. We also consider a protocol for entangling two or more cantilevers on the atom chip with different resonance frequencies, using the trapped atoms as an intermediary. Although similar experiments could be carried out with magnetic microchip traps, the optical confinement scheme we consider may exhibit reduced near-field magnetic noise and decoherence. Prospects for using this system for tests of quantum mechanics at macroscopic scales or quantum information processing are discussed.
Ultracold atomic gases can be utilised as extremely sensitive probes of their surrounding environment. In particular, samples of ultracold atoms confined using chip-based microtraps are an ideal tool for mapping electric and magnetic field landscapes. Over the course of this thesis, a new experiment capable of performing surface microscopy using magnetically trapped clouds of cold rubidium-87 atoms has been built. The focus of the work is on the design and construction of the experimental system, which must incorporate many different aspects for manipulating thermal atomic gases, with a view to positioning them at sub-micron distances from special surfaces. This reduced atom-surface separation is necessary for implementing a high resolution, high sensitivity magnetic field sensor with cold atoms. Although current microfabrication techniques easily enable trapping at distances on the order of micrometres, several distance-dependent surface effects - such as the Casimir-Polder force, Johnson-Nyquist noise, and stray potentials - eventually impede magnetic trapping at the sub-micron level. These surface effects can greatly modify the confining potentials, which reduces the trap depth and consequently leads to an additional loss rate of atoms from the trap. We have explored the possibility of using special surfaces such as nano-membranes of silicon nitride and graphene, which have reduced atom- surface interactions, to enable trapping distances at the sub-micron level. A multilayer printed circuit board chip has been designed to form an initial magnetic trap and then transport the cloud of atoms to a desired location over the samples. This chip, along with various samples, is mounted on a custom-made electrical feedthrough designed to make connections to all conductor that are inside the vacuum chamber. The initial cloud of cold atoms can then be prepared in the central region of the chip and delivered to the location of the samples on either side. The experimental system is able to routinely capture over 10^8 rubidium-87 atoms at a temperature of 80 micro-Kelvin in a magneto-optical trap using a novel scheme of five laser beams. A method is demonstrated for enhancing the atom number in the magneto-optical traps by a factor of two by using laser beams with two slightly different frequencies. Atoms from the magneto-optical trap are then transferred to a purely magnetic trap formed by the wires on the printed circuit board chip. Time-dependent currents in the chip wires then create a dynamic potential, which is shown to successfully transport the atomic sample over a distance of 12 millimetre with minimal atom loss. This thesis describes the development of the apparatus in detail, along with careful characterisation of the cold cloud at various stages of the experimental sequence. Initial results on the long distance atom transport are presented. Finally, the experimental results of the two frequency magneto-optical trap for atom number improvement are discussed.