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Acta Physica Polonica B

Permanent-Magnet Microstructures for Atom Optics

Andrei I. Sidorov, Russell McLean, F. Scharnberg, David S. Gough, Timothy J. Davis, Brett A. Sexton, Geoffrey I. Opat, Peter Hannaford

Published Aug 1, 2002• 28 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

We describe the use of permanent magnetic microstructures based on grooved, perpendicularly magnetised thin films fabricated by electron-beam lithography as optical elements for atom optics. Strong reflection signals and predominantly specular reflection have been realised for beams of cold caesium or rubidium atoms normally incident on grooved perpendicularly magnetised microstructures with periodicities of 1--4 \\mu m. We discuss the use of perpendicularly magnetised microstructures to construct miniature integrated atom optical elements, including magnetic waveguides, microtraps and beamsplitters, for manipulating atomic de Broglie waves on the surface of a substrate.

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Journal of Optics B Quantum and Semiclassical Optics•Aug 1, 1999•17 citations
We describe the use of permanent magnetic microstructures based on grooved, perpendicularly magnetised thin films fabricated by electron-beam lithography as optical elements for atom optics. Strong reflection signals and predominantly specular reflection have been realised for beams of cold caesium or rubidium atoms normally incident on grooved perpendicularly magnetised microstructures with periodicities of 1--4 \mu m. We discuss the use of perpendicularly magnetised microstructures to construct miniature integrated atom optical elements, including magnetic waveguides, microtraps and beamsplitters, for manipulating atomic de Broglie waves on the surface of a substrate.
We report progress in our project on Integrated Atom Optics. We are exploring methods of producing surface-based microscopic atom optical elements that are made from permanent magnetic films and current-carrying microwires. We will discuss different configurations of microtraps, waveguides and couplers that can manipulate atomic de Broglie waves on the surface of a substrate. In particular we will describe the characteristics of a mirror magneto-optical trap that has allowed trapping of rubidium atoms in vicinity of a surface.
Periodically grooved, micron-scale structures incorporating perpendicularly magnetized Gd10Tb6Fe80Co4 magneto-optical films have been fabricated and characterized. Such structures produce a magnetic field having flat equipotentials and whose magnitude decays exponentially with distance above the surface, making them attractive for manipulating ultracold atoms in atom optics. The GdTbFeCo films have been deposited on a Cr underlayer on a silicon (100) wafer and on a grooved silicon microstructure using DC magnetron sputtering. The films are found to have excellent magnetic properties for magnetic atom optics applications, including high remanent magnetization, high coercivity and excellent homogeneity.
We report recent progress on the development of magnetic mirrors for reflecting beams of slowly moving neutral atoms. Different approaches for constructing periodic magnetic structures with micron-scale periodicities are described, including the use of arrays of current-carrying wires fabricated by photolithography, grooved ferromagnetic structures fabricated by electron-beam lithography, and magnetic structures recorded on magneto-optical film by a focused diode laser beam. Results on the reflection of free-falling laser-cooled caesium atoms from these microfabricated magnetic mirrors are presented.
There is a need in atom optics and atom interferometry for high quality atomic mirrors and beamsplitters that will permit the manipulation and control of beams of slowly moving atoms. We have an established programme for developing and testing mirrors for atom optics based on the interaction between the magnetic dipole moment of an atom and the exponentially varying magnetic field above a periodic array of magnetic elements. Previously we have observed reflection of cold atoms from mirrors of a number of different designs, including a macroscopic array of permanent rare-earth magnets of alternating polarity, grooved ferromagnetic structures, arrays of current-carrying conductors and structures recorded onto magneto-optical films.
A method for creating miniature quadrupole traps for atoms is proposed. The method uses pairs of micro-fabricated dipole magnets to create a quadrupole field for trapping atoms in two dimensions while allowing free propagation in the third. When the dimensions of the trap are comparable with the de Broglie wavelengths of the atoms, the device becomes an atom waveguide. In this paper we discuss the properties of the magnetic dipoles, methods for their manufacture and present the de Broglie wave modes of an example waveguide. The method can be extended to create many different atom-optical devices on a substrate leading to the possibility of monolithic, integrated atom-optics devices.