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Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics

Recent developments in trapping and manipulation of atoms with adiabatic potentials

B. M. Garraway, Hélène Perrin

Published Aug 22, 2016• 94 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A combination of static and oscillating magnetic fields can be used to 'dress' atoms with radiofrequency (RF), or microwave, radiation.The spatial variation of these fields can be used to create an enormous variety of traps for ultra-cold atoms and quantum gases.This article reviews the type and character of these adiabatic traps and the applications which include atom interferometry and the study of low-dimensional quantum systems.We introduce the main concepts of magnetic traps leading to adiabatic dressed traps.The concept of adiabaticity is discussed in the context of the Landau-Zener model.The first bubble trap experiment is reviewed together with the method used for loading it.Experiments based on atom chips show the production of double wells and ring traps.Dressed atom traps can be evaporatively cooled with an additional RF field, and a weak RF field can be used to probe the spectroscopy of the adiabatic potentials.Several approaches to ring traps formed from adiabatic potentials are discussed, including those based on atom chips, time-averaged adiabatic potentials and induction methods.Several proposals for adiabatic lattices with dressed atoms are also reviewed.

DOI
10.1088/0953-4075/49/17/172001

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A combination of static and oscillating magnetic fields can be used to 'dress' atoms with radiofrequency (RF), or microwave, radiation.The spatial variation of these fields can be used to create an enormous variety of traps for ultra-cold atoms and quantum gases.This article reviews the type and character of these adiabatic traps and the applications which include atom interferometry and the study of low-dimensional quantum systems.We introduce the main concepts of magnetic traps leading to adiabatic dressed traps.The concept of adiabaticity is discussed in the context of the Landau-Zener model.The first bubble trap experiment is reviewed together with the method used for loading it.Experiments based on atom chips show the production of double wells and ring traps.Dressed atom traps can be evaporatively cooled with an additional RF field, and a weak RF field can be used to probe the spectroscopy of the adiabatic potentials.Several approaches to ring traps formed from adiabatic potentials are discussed, including those based on atom chips, time-averaged adiabatic potentials and induction methods.Several proposals for adiabatic lattices with dressed atoms are also reviewed.
This thesis describes the experimental realisation and characterisation of three non-trivial trapping geometries for ultracold atoms. The double-well, ring and to some degree shell trap are examples of a highly versatile class of traps called time-averaged adiabatic potentials (TAAPs). In this experiment the TAAPs arise from the combination of three independent magnetic fields; a static quadrupole field dressed by a uniform radio-frequency field is time-averaged by a bias field oscillating at in the kHz regime. The result is a very smooth potential, within which ultracold atoms can be evaporatively cooled to quantum degeneracy, and subsequently manipulated into new geometries without destroying the quantum coherence.The vertically offset double-well potential provided the first example of ultracold atoms confined in a TAAP. The same potential is used to demonstrate efficient evaporative cooling across the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) phase transition using only the Landau-Zener loss mechanism. Switching off the time-averaging fields loads atoms from the double-well TAAP into the rf-dressed shell trap. A characterisation of this potential measured low heating rates and lifetimes of up to 58s. With efforts ongoing to increase the trap anisotropy, this potential shows promise for research into the static and rapidly rotating 2D systems. In the presence of a single time-averaging field, the shell geometry is transformed into a ring-shaped trap with an adjustable radius. The ring trap can be controllably tilted and progress towards multiply connected condensates is being made. A rotation scheme to spin up atoms in the ring trap has been demonstrated, presenting the opportunity to investigate the dynamics of superflow in degenerate quantum gases.
Time-varying fields are widely used to extend the accessible range of trapping potentials for ultracold atoms. This work explores two very different examples of such fields, in the radiofrequency and optical regimes, whose interactions with trapped atoms can both be described in terms of the dressed atom picture. Forming the basis of this work are radiofrequency dressed adiabatic potentials based on macroscopic trapping coils. Atoms are confined at the south pole of the resultant oblate spheroidal trapping surfaces. This work describes the extension of these potentials by two different methods: the application of multiple dressing radiofrequencies, and addition of a rapidly-scanned optical dipole trap. This is the first experimental demonstration of a multiple-radiofrequency dressed adiabatic potential, explored using ultracold 87Rb atoms confined in a highly configurable double well. Due to the independent generation of each constituent dressing frequency, the depth of each trapping well and the height of the barrier are easily manipulated, enabling precise and reliable transfer of atoms between the available trapping geometries. Experimental work includes an exploration of the potential-shaping capabilities of the three-radiofrequency system, and characterisation of the potential landscape using radiofrequency spectroscopy with good agreement to the eigenvalues numerically calculated using Floquet theory. This initial exploration of multiple-radiofrequency techniques lays the groundwork for applications in studying double well physics in a two-dimensional system, and independent state or species selective manipulation of trapped atoms. The potential shaping capabilities of this method can also be extended by applying additional trapping frequencies. In a supplementary line of experimental work, an optical dipole trapping system has been constructed, and the trapping beam aligned to the lower surface of the radiofrequency dressed trapping shell in order to sculpt the radial confinement. Beam shaping is achieved using an acousto-optic deflector, which can be used to produce either a composite array of static deflected beams, a rapidly-scanned painted potential, or some combination of the two approaches. The development and extension of the experimental apparatus required to implement these enhanced dressed state potentials is explored, and the challenges of their experimental implementation considered.
Adiabatic dressed state potentials are created when magnetic substates of trapped atoms are coupled by a radio-frequency field. We discuss their theoretical foundations and point out fundamental advantages over potentials purely based on static fields. The enhanced flexibility enables one to implement numerous configurations, including double wells, Mach-Zehnder, and Sagnac interferometers which even allows for internal state-dependent atom manipulation. These can be realized using simple and highly integrated wire geometries on atom chips.
In this work, the RF-dressed potentials generated using a static magnetic field of a quadrupole trap and various radio frequency (RF) fields have been theoretically investigated for trapping and manipulating of cold atoms in a two-dimensional (2D) geometry. In this scheme, the RF fields of some particular polarizations and phases are shown to give rise to some novel static and time-dependent anisotropic two-dimensional potentials that are useful to trap and manipulate the cold atoms in the 2D geometry. The generated time-dependent 2D potentials, rotating on a circular ring, can be used to control the rotation and the oscillation of the cold-atom cloud on the path of the circular ring. The ultracold atoms trapped in these potentials may be used to investigate interesting physics phenomena, such as tunnelling and superfluidity.
We present the first experimental demonstration of a multiple radio-frequency dressed potential for the configurable magnetic confinement of ultracold atoms. We load cold 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb atoms into a double-well potential with an adjustable barrier height, formed by three radio-frequencies applied to atoms in a static quadrupole magnetic field. Our multiple radio-frequency approach gives precise control over the double-well characteristics, including the depth of individual wells and the height of the barrier, and enables reliable transfer of atoms between the available trapping geometries. We characterize the multiple radio-frequency dressed system using radio-frequency spectroscopy, finding good agreement with the eigenvalues numerically calculated using Floquet theory. This method creates trapping potentials that can be reconfigured by changing the amplitudes, polarizations, and frequencies of the applied dressing fields and easily extended with additional dressing frequencies.
We report the experimental realization of a versatile ring trap for ultracold atoms. The ring geometry is created by the time-averaged adiabatic potential resulting from the application of an oscillating magnetic bias field to a rf-dressed quadrupole trap. Lifetimes for a Bose-Einstein condensate in the ring exceed 11s11\mathrm{s}11s and the ring radius was continuously varied from $50 \ensuremath{\mu}\text{m}$ to $262 \ensuremath{\mu}\text{m}$. An efficient method of loading the ring from a conventional time-averaged orbiting potential trap is presented together with a rotation scheme which introduces angular momentum into the system. The ring presents an opportunity to study the superfluid properties of a condensate in a multiply connected geometry and also has applications for matter-wave interferometry.