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Physics Letters B

A magnetic trap for high-field seeking neutron spin states

Th. Brenner, S. Chesnevskaya, P. Fierlinger, Peter W. Geltenbort, E. Gutsmiedl, T. Lauer, Kristine Rezai, J. Rothe, T. Zechlau, R. Zou

Published Dec 24, 2014• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A first experimental demonstration of a new type of magnetic trap for ultra-cold neutrons is presented. High-field seeking spin-states are trapped in a potential formed by the magnetic field of a straight wire and a repulsive coating on the wire surface. Life-times of the trapped neutrons of 60 s could be observed. This configuration can in principle be used to form bound states of the wave function on the surface of the wire to probe new forces at short distances. Further applications include the use as a guide and selector for perfectly polarized neutrons.

DOI
10.1016/j.physletb.2014.12.041

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A first experimental demonstration of a new type of magnetic trap for ultra-cold neutrons is presented. High-field seeking spin-states are trapped in a potential formed by the magnetic field of a straight wire and a repulsive coating on the wire surface. Life-times of the trapped neutrons of 60 s could be observed. This configuration can in principle be used to form bound states of the wave function on the surface of the wire to probe new forces at short distances. Further applications include the use as a guide and selector for perfectly polarized neutrons.
A first experimental demonstration of a new type of magnetic trap for ultra-cold neutrons is presented. High-field seeking spin-states are trapped in a potential formed by the magnetic field of a straight wire and a repulsive coating on the wire surface. Life-times of the trapped neutrons of 60 s could be observed. This configuration can in principle be used to form bound states of the wave function on the surface of the wire to probe new forces at short distances. Further applications include the use as a guide and selector for perfectly polarized neutrons.
The spectrum and the wave functions of neutrons bound in the magnetic field of a thin rectilinear current filament are calculated analytically by solving a fourth-order Hamburger equation. Finite current cross sections are treated numerically: the bound states persist---a necessary prerequisite in view of possible experimental verifications of the theory. Two setups [(i) a superconducting wire and (ii) a Church trap] are proposed for obtaining these states experimentally. Some results on spin-1 magnetic surface states are presented.
For the last decade it has been possible to cool atoms to microkelvin temperatures (~1 cm s -1 ) using a variety of optical techniques. Light beams provide the very strong frictional forces required to slow atoms from room temperature (~500 m s -1 ). However, once the atoms are cold, the relatively weak conservative forces of static electric and magnetic fields play an important role. In our group we have been studying the interaction of cold rubidium atoms with periodically magnetized data storage media. Here we review the underlying principles of the forces acting on atoms above a suitably magnetized substrate or near current-carrying wires. We also summarize the status of experiments. These structures can be used as smooth or corrugated reflectors for controlling the trajectories of cold atoms. Alternatively, they may be used to confine atoms to a plane, a line, or a dot and in some cases to reach the quantum limit of confinement. Atoms levitated above a magnetized surface can be guided electrostatically by wires deposited on the surface. The flow and interaction of atoms in such a structure may form the basis of a new technology, `integrated atom optics' which might ultimately be capable of realizing a quantum computer.
We report on the realization and characterization of a magnetic microtrap for ultracold atoms near a straight superconducting Nb wire with circular cross section. The trapped atoms are used to probe the magnetic field outside the superconducting wire. The Meissner effect shortens the distance between the trap and the wire, reduces the radial magnetic-field gradients, and lowers the trap depth. Measurements of the trap position reveal a complete exclusion of the magnetic field from the superconducting wire for temperatures lower than 6 K. As the temperature is further increased, the magnetic field partially penetrates the superconducting wire; hence the microtrap position is shifted towards the position expected for a normal-conducting wire.
We propose two novel double-well magnetic surface traps (i.e., a double-well U-U-shaped wire trap and a double-well U-Z-shaped wire trap) for cold atoms using a straight and U-shaped current-carrying wire or two U-shaped current-carrying wires. These double-well magnetic traps can be continuously changed into a single-well by reducing the current in a straight wire or an inner U-shaped wire from a suitable value to zero, and vice versa. The spatial distributions of the magnetic fields from two current-carrying wire layouts and their field gradients are calculated and analyzed, and the trapped atomic number and its temperature in each magnetic well are estimated. Our study shows that our double-well magnetic surface traps can be used to realize two-species magneto-optical traps (MOTs) above the surface of the wire plane. Under the approximation of low intensity, cold atomic samples with a captured number of ∼10^6 atoms and a temperature of approximately 270 µK can be obtained in each ^85Rb atomic MOT. Since each MOT in two-species MOTs can be prepared independently, our controllable double-well trap can be used to study the cold collisions between two different atomic samples.