Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Frontiers in Optics

Potential Roughness Suppression in a Radio-Frequency AC Zeeman Chip Trap

William Miyahira, S. Aubin

Published Jan 1, 2024• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We present work showing potential roughness suppression in an AC Zeeman atom chip trap operating on RF Zeeman transitions. RF trap roughness is compared with a DC trap with clear suppression in the RF trap.
DOI
10.1364/fio.2024.jw4a.8

Related papers

Potential roughness suppression in a RF AC Zeeman atom chip trap

William Miyahira, S. Aubin

Trapping and manipulating ultracold atoms through the use of atom chips offers the ability to engineer complex electromagnetic field geometries in a compact form factor. One of the primary limitations hindering their use is trap potential roughness which arises as a result of defects in the atom chip wires when atoms are brought close to the chip. This roughness can play a limiting role in atom interferometry and strong 1D confinement experiments. We present an initial experimental demonstration of atom chip potential roughness suppression using radio-frequency (RF) AC Zeeman (ACZ) potentials on an atom chip. Using ∼20 MHz RF magnetic near-fields from the chip to target intra-manifold transitions in the 87Rb ground state, we trap atoms in a spindependent ACZ potential. We compare the axial trapping potential for atoms in comparable 2-wire DC and AC Zeeman traps and show evidence of roughness suppression in the AC trap.

Optical and Quantum Sensing and Precision Metrology II•Mar 13, 2024•0 citations

Suppression of potential roughness in atom-chip ac Zeeman traps

Shuangli Du, Austin R. Ziltz, William Miyahira +1 more

We present several toy models for predicting the character and strength of the roughness of ac Zeeman trapping potentials generated by imperfections in wire traces on an atom chip. An ac Zeeman trapping potential is generated by targeting a microwave or rf magnetic field at hyperfine or Zeeman ground-state transitions, respectively, while a dc Zeeman trap uses a static magnetic field to manipulate an atom via its magnetic moment. We find that an ac Zeeman trap suppresses potential roughness by several orders of magnitude with respect to a comparable dc Zeeman trap. This suppression stems from the inherent differences between an atom's response to dc and ac (namely rf and microwave) magnetic fields, in concert with how the ac skin effect smooths out a current distribution disturbed by a conductivity variation. For chip wires fabricated by evaporation, we find that an ac Zeeman trap for $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ atoms, located $100\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ from the chip and operating on a 6.8 GHz hyperfine transition, is expected to suppress potential roughness by a factor of $4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{5}$ compared with a similar dc Zeeman trap. For a comparable ac Zeeman trap operating on a 10 MHz Zeeman transition, the suppression is $2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{4}$. Conversely, the ac skin effect also slightly exacerbates potential roughness, in ac Zeeman traps, from defects in the sidewall of a wire trace.

Physical Review A•May 31, 2022•4 citations

AC Zeeman chip traps for fundamental physics

S. Aubin

Spin-specific trapping and mechanical control of ultracold atoms is difficult with current techniques, but offers the possibility of exploring new physics systems, such as spin-dependent trapped atom interferometers, as well as quantum gates, 1D many-body spin gases, and novel cooling schemes. Microwave near-field potentials based on the AC Zeeman effect provide a mechanism for such spin-specific control of atoms: in principle, independent potentials can be targeted to different spin states simultaneously. A broadband microwave atom chip can be used to generate both AC Zeeman trapping potentials and a microwave lattice for long distance trap positioning. We present recent experimental results on the successful trapping of ultracold rubidium atoms in an AC Zeeman atom chip trap using RF intra-hyperfine manifold transitions. Notably, these traps suppress the potential roughness encountered in traditional micro-magnetic chip traps.

Optical and Quantum Sensing and Precision Metrology II•Mar 13, 2024•0 citations

Radio-frequency dressed atoms beyond the linear Zeeman effect

G Sinuco-León, B M Garraway

We evaluate the impact that nonlinear Zeeman shifts have on resonant radio-frequency (RF) dressed traps in an atom-chip configuration. The degeneracy of the resonance between Zeeman levels is lifted at large intensities of a static field, modifying the spatial dependence of the atomic adiabatic potential. In this context, we find effects that are important for the next generation of atom chips with tight trapping: in particular, that the vibrational frequency of the atom trap is sensitive to the RF frequency and, depending on the sign of the Landé factor, can produce significantly weaker, or tighter trapping when compared to the linear regime of the Zeeman effect. We take 87 Rb as an example and find that it is possible for the trapping frequency on F = 1 to exceed that of the F = 2 hyperfine manifold.

arXiv:1209.3182•New Journal of Physics•Dec 7, 2012•10 citations

Radio-frequency dressed atoms beyond the linear Zeeman effect

G. Sinuco-León, B. M. Garraway

We evaluate the impact that nonlinear Zeeman shifts have on resonant radio-frequency (RF) dressed traps in an atom-chip configuration. The degeneracy of the resonance between Zeeman levels is lifted at large intensities of a static field, modifying the spatial dependence of the atomic adiabatic potential. In this context, we find effects that are important for the next generation of atom chips with tight trapping: in particular, that the vibrational frequency of the atom trap is sensitive to the RF frequency and, depending on the sign of the Landé factor, can produce significantly weaker, or tighter trapping when compared to the linear regime of the Zeeman effect. We take 87 Rb as an example and find that it is possible for the trapping frequency on F = 1 to exceed that of the F = 2 hyperfine manifold.

•Dec 7, 2012•8 citations

Roughness suppression in an AC atom chip

Jean-Baptiste Trebbia, Carlos L. Garrido Alzar, Ronald Cornelussen +2 more

We present a method to suppress the potential roughness of a wire-based, magnetic atom guide: modulating the wire current at a few tens of kHz, the potential roughness, which is proportional to the wire current, averages to zero. Using ultra-cold $^{87}{\\rm Rb}$ clouds, we show experimentally that modulation reduces the roughness by at least of a factor five without measurable heating or atom loss. This roughness suppression results in a dramatic reduction of the damping of center of mass oscillations.

•Jan 1, 2007•0 citations
Trapping and manipulating ultracold atoms through the use of atom chips offers the ability to engineer complex electromagnetic field geometries in a compact form factor. One of the primary limitations hindering their use is trap potential roughness which arises as a result of defects in the atom chip wires when atoms are brought close to the chip. This roughness can play a limiting role in atom interferometry and strong 1D confinement experiments. We present an initial experimental demonstration of atom chip potential roughness suppression using radio-frequency (RF) AC Zeeman (ACZ) potentials on an atom chip. Using ∼20 MHz RF magnetic near-fields from the chip to target intra-manifold transitions in the 87Rb ground state, we trap atoms in a spindependent ACZ potential. We compare the axial trapping potential for atoms in comparable 2-wire DC and AC Zeeman traps and show evidence of roughness suppression in the AC trap.
We present several toy models for predicting the character and strength of the roughness of ac Zeeman trapping potentials generated by imperfections in wire traces on an atom chip. An ac Zeeman trapping potential is generated by targeting a microwave or rf magnetic field at hyperfine or Zeeman ground-state transitions, respectively, while a dc Zeeman trap uses a static magnetic field to manipulate an atom via its magnetic moment. We find that an ac Zeeman trap suppresses potential roughness by several orders of magnitude with respect to a comparable dc Zeeman trap. This suppression stems from the inherent differences between an atom's response to dc and ac (namely rf and microwave) magnetic fields, in concert with how the ac skin effect smooths out a current distribution disturbed by a conductivity variation. For chip wires fabricated by evaporation, we find that an ac Zeeman trap for 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb atoms, located $100\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ from the chip and operating on a 6.8 GHz hyperfine transition, is expected to suppress potential roughness by a factor of $4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{5}$ compared with a similar dc Zeeman trap. For a comparable ac Zeeman trap operating on a 10 MHz Zeeman transition, the suppression is $2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{4}$. Conversely, the ac skin effect also slightly exacerbates potential roughness, in ac Zeeman traps, from defects in the sidewall of a wire trace.
Spin-specific trapping and mechanical control of ultracold atoms is difficult with current techniques, but offers the possibility of exploring new physics systems, such as spin-dependent trapped atom interferometers, as well as quantum gates, 1D many-body spin gases, and novel cooling schemes. Microwave near-field potentials based on the AC Zeeman effect provide a mechanism for such spin-specific control of atoms: in principle, independent potentials can be targeted to different spin states simultaneously. A broadband microwave atom chip can be used to generate both AC Zeeman trapping potentials and a microwave lattice for long distance trap positioning. We present recent experimental results on the successful trapping of ultracold rubidium atoms in an AC Zeeman atom chip trap using RF intra-hyperfine manifold transitions. Notably, these traps suppress the potential roughness encountered in traditional micro-magnetic chip traps.
We evaluate the impact that nonlinear Zeeman shifts have on resonant radio-frequency (RF) dressed traps in an atom-chip configuration. The degeneracy of the resonance between Zeeman levels is lifted at large intensities of a static field, modifying the spatial dependence of the atomic adiabatic potential. In this context, we find effects that are important for the next generation of atom chips with tight trapping: in particular, that the vibrational frequency of the atom trap is sensitive to the RF frequency and, depending on the sign of the Landé factor, can produce significantly weaker, or tighter trapping when compared to the linear regime of the Zeeman effect. We take 87 Rb as an example and find that it is possible for the trapping frequency on F = 1 to exceed that of the F = 2 hyperfine manifold.
We evaluate the impact that nonlinear Zeeman shifts have on resonant radio-frequency (RF) dressed traps in an atom-chip configuration. The degeneracy of the resonance between Zeeman levels is lifted at large intensities of a static field, modifying the spatial dependence of the atomic adiabatic potential. In this context, we find effects that are important for the next generation of atom chips with tight trapping: in particular, that the vibrational frequency of the atom trap is sensitive to the RF frequency and, depending on the sign of the Landé factor, can produce significantly weaker, or tighter trapping when compared to the linear regime of the Zeeman effect. We take 87 Rb as an example and find that it is possible for the trapping frequency on F = 1 to exceed that of the F = 2 hyperfine manifold.
We present a method to suppress the potential roughness of a wire-based, magnetic atom guide: modulating the wire current at a few tens of kHz, the potential roughness, which is proportional to the wire current, averages to zero. Using ultra-cold 87rmRb^{87}{\\rm Rb}87rmRb clouds, we show experimentally that modulation reduces the roughness by at least of a factor five without measurable heating or atom loss. This roughness suppression results in a dramatic reduction of the damping of center of mass oscillations.