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Applied Physics Letters

Mobile atom traps using magnetic nanowires

D. A. Allwood, T. Schrefl, G. Hrkac, Ifan G. Hughes, Charles S. Adams

Published Jul 3, 2006• 42 citations
Publisher

Abstract

By solving the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation using a finite element method we show that an atom trap can be produced above a ferromagnetic nanowire domain wall. Atoms experience trap frequencies of up to a few megahertz, and can be transported by applying a weak magnetic field along the wire. Lithographically defined nanowire patterns could allow quantum information processing by bringing domain walls in close proximity at certain places to allow trapped atom interactions and far apart at others to allow individual addressing.

DOI
10.1063/1.2219397

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By solving the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation using a finite element method we show that an atom trap can be produced above a ferromagnetic nanowire domain wall. Atoms experience trap frequencies of up to a few megahertz, and can be transported by applying a weak magnetic field along the wire. Lithographically defined nanowire patterns could allow quantum information processing by bringing domain walls in close proximity at certain places to allow trapped atom interactions and far apart at others to allow individual addressing.
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We have used the results of micromagnetic simulations to investigate the effects of nanowire geometry and domain wall magnetization structure on the characteristic parameters of magnetic atom traps formed by domain walls in planar ferromagnetic nanowires. It is found that when traps are formed in the near-field of a domain wall both nanowire geometry and wall structure have a substantial effect on trap frequency (how tightly atoms are spatially confined) and adiabaticity (how closely the atoms’ magnetic moments track the applied field direction within the trap). We also show that in certain regimes a trap’s depth depends only on the amplitude of an externally applied rotating magnetic field, thus allowing it to be tuned independently of the trap’s other critical parameters.
Many proposals for quantum information processing require precise control over the motion of neutral atoms, as in the manipulation of coherent matter waves or the confinement and localization of individual atoms. Patterns of micron-sized wires, fabricated lithographically on a flat substrate, can conveniently produce large magnetic-field gradients and curvatures to trap cold atoms and to facilitate the production of Bose-Einstein condensates. The intent of this paper is to provide the researcher who has access to a standard clean-room enough information to design and fabricate such devices.
Many proposals for quantum information processing require precise control over the motion of neutral atoms, as in the manipulation of coherent matter waves or the confinement and localization of individual atoms. Patterns of micron-sized wires, fabricated lithographically on a flat substrate, can conveniently produce large magnetic-field gradients and curvatures to trap cold atoms and to facilitate the production of Bose-Einstein condensates. This paper describes tools and techniques for the construction of such devices.
We present an analysis of magnetic traps for ultracold atoms based on current-carrying wires with sub-micron dimensions. We analyze the physical limitations of these conducting wires as well as how such miniaturized magnetic traps are affected by the nearby surface due to tunneling to the surface, surface thermal noise, electron scattering within the wire and the Casimir–Polder force. We show that wires with cross sections as small as a few tens of nanometers should enable robust operating conditions for coherent atom optics (e.g. tunneling barriers for interferometry). In particular, trap sizes of the order of the de Broglie wavelength become accessible, based solely on static magnetic fields, thereby bringing the atomchip a step closer to fulfilling its promise of a compact device for complex and accurate quantum optics with ultracold atoms.
This thesis presents the first realisation of a new type of hybrid quantum device based on spintronic technology. We demonstrate an interaction between the magnetic fringing fields produced by domain walls within planar permalloy nanowires and a cloud of ultracold Rubidium 87 atoms. This interaction is manifested through the realisation of a magnetic atom mirror produced by a two-dimensional domain wall array. The interaction is tuned through the reconfiguration of the micromagnetic structure. Analytic modelling of the fringing fields is developed and shows good agreement with calculations based on micromagnetically simulated structures. The accurate and rapid calculation of the fringing fields permits simulation of the resulting atom dynamics, which agrees well with data. In turn, we use the atom dynamics as a probe of the micromagnetic reconfiguration processes that take place and observe a collective behaviour which is both reliably reproducible and in agreement with alternative, conventional magnetometry. We also observe evidence of stochastic behaviour, characteristic of superparamagnetic systems. We consider the development of a more advanced spintronics-based atom chip which will allow for the creation of extremely tight mobile atom traps. We consider the problems associated with ensuring that the trapping potential is adiabatic, sufficiently deep, and technically feasible. In particular we examine techniques to circumvent losses due to Majorana spin-flip transitions. As a result of this study we propose a novel scheme for creating time-averaged potentials via the piezoelectric actuation of magnetic field sources. We show that this technique presents significant fundamental and technical advantages over conventional time-averaging schemes.