We present a detailed theoretical analysis of the implementation of shortcut-to-adiabaticity protocols for the fast transport of neutral atoms with atom chips.The objective is to engineer transport ramps with durations not exceeding a few hundred milliseconds to provide metrologically relevant input states for an atomic sensor.Aided by numerical simulations of the classical and quantum dynamics, we study the behavior of a Bose-Einstein condensate in an atom chip setup with realistic anharmonic trapping.We detail the implementation of fast and controlled transports over large distances of several millimeters, i.e. distances 1000 times larger than the size of the atomic cloud.A subsequent optimized release and collimation step demonstrates the capability of our transport method to generate ensembles of quantum gases with expansion speeds in the picokelvin regime.The performance of this procedure is analyzed in terms of collective excitations reflected in residual center of mass and size oscillations of the condensate.We further evaluate the robustness of the protocol against experimental imperfections.
We present a detailed theoretical analysis of the implementation of\nshortcut-to-adiabaticity protocols for the fast transport of neutral atoms with atom\nchips. The objective is to engineer transport ramps with durations not exceeding a\nfew hundred milliseconds to provide metrologically-relevant input states for an atomic\nsensor. Aided by numerical simulations of the classical and quantum dynamics, we\nstudy the behavior of a Bose-Einstein condensate in an atom chip setup with realistic\nanharmonic trapping. We detail the implementation of fast and controlled transports\nover large distances of several millimeters, i.e. distances 1000 times larger than the size\nof the atomic cloud. A subsequent optimized release and collimation step demonstrates\nthe capability of our transport method to generate ensembles of quantum gases with\nexpansion speeds in the picokelvin regime. The performance of this procedure is\nanalyzed in terms of collective excitations re\nected in residual center of mass and\nsize oscillations of the condensate. We further evaluate the robustness of the protocol\nagainst experimental imperfections.
Using Optimal Control Theory (OCT), we design fast ramps for the controlled transport of Bose-Einstein condensates with atom chips’ magnetic traps. These ramps are engineered in the context of precision atom interferometry experiments and support transport over large distances, typically of the order of 1 mm, i.e. about 1,000 times the size of the atomic clouds, yet with durations not exceeding 200 ms. We show that with such transport durations of the order of the trap period, one can recover the ground state of the final trap at the end of the transport. The performance of the OCT procedure is compared to that of Shortcut-To-Adiabaticity (STA) protocols and the respective advantages / disadvantages of the OCT treatment over the STA one are discussed.
Using Optimal Control Theory (OCT), we design fast ramps for the controlled transport of Bose-Einstein condensates with atom chips' magnetic traps. These ramps are engineered in the context of precision atom interferometry experiments and support transport over large distances, typically of the order of 1 mm, i.e. about 1,000 times the size of the atomic clouds, yet with durations not exceeding 200 ms. We show that with such transport durations of the order of the trap period, one can recover the ground state of the final trap at the end of the transport. The performance of the OCT procedure is compared to that of a Shortcut-To-Adiabaticity (STA) protocol and the respective advantages/disadvantages of the OCT treatment over the STA one are discussed.
We present a method to transport Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) in anharmonic traps and in the presence of atom-atom interactions in short times without residual excitation. Using a combination of a variational approach and inverse engineering methods, we derive a set of Ermakov-like equations that take into account the coupling between the centre of mass motion and the breathing mode. By an appropriate inverse engineering strategy of those equations, we then design the trap trajectory to achieve the desired boundary conditions. Numerical examples for cubic or quartic anharmonicities are provided for fast and high-fidelity transport of BECs. Potential applications are atom interferometry and quantum information processing. This article is part of the theme issue 'Shortcuts to adiabaticity: theoretical, experimental and interdisciplinary perspectives'.
Atom chips are an excellent tool for studying ultracold degenerate quantum gases, due to the high degree of controllability afforded by the precise potentials generated from the current-carrying microfabricated wires on the chip surface. The geometries of the trapping potentials are inherently capable of realising extreme aspect ratios, and therefore creating model systems with effectively reduced dimensionality, particularly the theoretically-tractable one-dimensional Bose gas. In addition, the temporal tunability makes it possible to impart non-adiabatic changes on the trapping potentials, allowing experimental investigation of samples which have been brought out of equilibrium - a situation which is not fully theoretically understood. This thesis describes the implementation, development and characterisation of an experimental system for producing the first Bose-Einstein condensates of atomic rubidium 87 gas trapped on the surface of an atom chip in Nottingham. Such an apparatus is very complex and requires careful characterisation in order to run in a stable and reliable way. Details of the experimental setup are thoroughly outlined, including the vacuum system, lasers, electronics, computer control and timing, and the optical imaging system. A newly installed compact two-dimensional magneto-optical trap provides an loading rate of 5e7 atoms per second for loading a three-dimensional mirror-magneto-optical trap with 1.5e8 atoms, at a temperature of 300uK within 10s. The cloud is then sub-Doppler cooled to 50uK, and spin-polarised with 96% purity into the |F=2,mF=+2> ground state within 5ms, in preparation for loading a purely magnetic trap. A millimeter sized copper Z-shaped conductor located beneath the atom chip surface creates a Ioffe-Pritchard magnetic trap, into which the laser cooled cloud is loaded with 70% efficiency, and can be held with a vacuum-limited lifetime of 40s. Evaporative cooling then pre-cools the sample to below 20uK within 10s, to allow the subsequent loading into potentials created by the atom chip with 100% efficiency. A final evaporation stage then cools the cloud below the phase transition temperature of 800nK, resulting finally in pure BECs with
105 atoms confined using the atom chip. Key measurements of various properties of the trapped condensates are presented, which are important in order to characterise the system fully, and to compare with theoretical expectations. In particular, included are the variation of condensate fraction with temperature, the BEC expansion dynamics, and the condensate lifetime in the trap, for example. Finally, it is demonstrated how BECs can be produced on the atom chip without the use of external macroscopic coils, achieved by using novel, integrated sheet structures located beneath the chip surface - unique to this experimental system - to create the necessary bias fields.