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arXiv:cond-mat/0403254 · Physical Review A

Alkali-metal adsorbate polarization on conducting and insulating surfaces probed with Bose-Einstein condensates

J. M. McGuirk, D. M. Harber, John Obrecht, Eric Cornell

Published Jun 22, 2004• 115 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

A magnetically trapped $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ Bose-Einstein condensate is used as a sensitive probe of short-range electrical forces. In particular, the electric polarization of, and the subsequent electric field generated by, $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ adsorbates on conducting and insulating surfaces is measured by characterizing perturbations to the magnetic trapping potential using high quality factor condensate excitations. The nature of the alterations to the electrical properties of $\mathrm{Rb}$ adsorbates is studied on titanium (metal) and silicon (semiconductor) surfaces, which exhibit nearly identical properties, and on glass (insulator), which displays a smaller transitory electrical effect. The limits of this technique in detecting electrical fields and ramifications for measurements of short-range forces near surfaces are discussed.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.69.062905

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A magnetically trapped 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb Bose-Einstein condensate is used as a sensitive probe of short-range electrical forces. In particular, the electric polarization of, and the subsequent electric field generated by, 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb adsorbates on conducting and insulating surfaces is measured by characterizing perturbations to the magnetic trapping potential using high quality factor condensate excitations. The nature of the alterations to the electrical properties of Rb\mathrm{Rb}Rb adsorbates is studied on titanium (metal) and silicon (semiconductor) surfaces, which exhibit nearly identical properties, and on glass (insulator), which displays a smaller transitory electrical effect. The limits of this technique in detecting electrical fields and ramifications for measurements of short-range forces near surfaces are discussed.
We have measured magnetic trap lifetimes of ultra-cold Rb87 atoms at distances of 5-1000 microns from surfaces of conducting metals with varying resistivity. Good agreement is found with a theoretical model for losses arising from near-field magnetic thermal noise, confirming the complications associated with holding trapped atoms close to conducting surfaces. A dielectric surface (silicon) was found in contrast to be so benign that we are able to evaporatively cool atoms to a Bose-Einstein condensate by using the surface to selectively adsorb higher energy atoms.
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We have performed a measurement of the Casimir-Polder force using a magnetically trapped 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb Bose-Einstein condensate. By detecting perturbations of the frequency of center-of-mass oscillations of the condensate perpendicular to the surface, we are able to detect this force at a distance $\ensuremath{\sim}5\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$, significantly farther than has been previously achieved, and at a precision approaching that needed to detect the modification due to thermal radiation. Additionally, this technique provides a limit for the presence of non-Newtonian gravity forces in the $\ensuremath{\sim}1\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ range.
Summary form only given.We have established an experimental and theoretical program focused on understanding photon atom interactions in condensates with the aim of probing the properties of condensates as well as testing our models of the interactions themselves. With a combination of laser and evaporative cooling, we are routinely creating million atom Bose-Einstein condensates of sodium atoms in the newly designed 4D magnet. Our experimental setup incorporates a candlestick atomic beam source, which provides for recirculation of uncollimated sodium atoms, The laser cooling step involves a zero-crossing Zeeman slower, magneto-optic trap, and polarization gradient cooling. The laser-cooled atom cloud is loaded into the 4D magnetic trap and adiabatically compressed to high density and an evaporative cooling process is initiated. Using a RF magnetic resonance technique, hot atoms are ejected through magnetic spin flips. After formation of the condensate in the tightly confining trap, we manipulate the condensate by adiabatically changing the trapping potential and through interaction with photons. We have developed a technique for probing the condensates directly inside the trap using near-resonant absorption imaging. This imaging technique gives high sensitivity to details of the condensate wavefunction and to its surface structure. Images of pure condensates are compared to calculations of the condensate wavefunction based on a Hartree mean field description of the two-body interaction between condensate atoms.
We use a quantum sensor based on trapped atom interferometry, and designed for probing short range atom-surface interactions, to characterize parasitic electric fields produced by adsorbed atoms or surface charges on a dielectric mirror. Applying controlled external fields with in-situ electrodes allows measuring electric field gradients with a relative uncertainty of order of 1% via variations of the force induced onto the atoms. More, our sensor can also be configured as a trapped microwave clock, allowing for direct measurements of the electric field amplitude via the Stark shift of the hyperfine transition frequency. Such measurements of the electric field amplitudes and gradients as a function of the atom-surface distance can be used to construct a model for the spatial distribution of the atoms adsorbed onto the surface of the mirror, and to accurately correct local force measurements, such as related to the Casimir–Polder interaction, from the detrimental impact of adsorbed atoms or stray charges.
In this paper we demonstrate a technique of utilizing magnetically trapped neutral 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb atoms to measure the magnitude and direction of stray electric fields emanating from surface contaminants. We apply an alternating external electric field that adds to (or subtracts from) the stray field in such a way as to resonantly drive the trapped atoms into a mechanical dipole oscillation. The growth rate of the oscillation's amplitude provides information about the magnitude and sign of the stray field gradient. Using this measurement technique, we are able to reconstruct the vector electric field produced by surface contaminants. In addition, we can accurately measure the electric fields generated from adsorbed atoms purposely placed onto the surface and account for their systematic effects, which can plague a precision surface-force measurement. We show that baking the substrate can reduce the electric fields emanating from adsorbate and that the mechanism for reduction is likely surface diffusion, not desorption.