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arXiv:cond-mat/0603631 · Physical Review Letters

Atom Interferometer Based on Phase Coherent Splitting of Bose-Einstein Condensates with an Integrated Magnetic Grating

Andreas Günther, Sebastian Kraft, Claus Zimmermann, József Fortágh

Published Apr 6, 2007• 39 citations
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Abstract

We report the phase coherent splitting of Bose-Einstein condensates by means of a phase grating produced near the surface of a microelectronic chip. A lattice potential with a period of 4 mum is generated by the superposition of static and oscillating magnetic fields. Precise control of the diffraction is achieved by controlling the currents in the integrated conductors. The interference of overlapping diffraction orders is observed after 8 ms of propagation in a harmonic trap and subsequent ballistic expansion of the atomic ensemble. By analyzing the interference pattern we show a reproducible phase relation between the diffraction orders with an uncertainty limited by the resolution of the diffraction grating.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.98.140403

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We report the phase coherent splitting of Bose-Einstein condensates by means of a phase grating produced near the surface of a microelectronic chip. A lattice potential with a period of 4 mum is generated by the superposition of static and oscillating magnetic fields. Precise control of the diffraction is achieved by controlling the currents in the integrated conductors. The interference of overlapping diffraction orders is observed after 8 ms of propagation in a harmonic trap and subsequent ballistic expansion of the atomic ensemble. By analyzing the interference pattern we show a reproducible phase relation between the diffraction orders with an uncertainty limited by the resolution of the diffraction grating.
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An atom Michelson interferometer is implemented on an "atom chip." The chip uses lithographically patterned conductors and external magnetic fields to produce and guide a Bose-Einstein condensate. Splitting, reflecting, and recombining of condensate atoms are achieved by a standing-wave light field having a wave vector aligned along the atom waveguide. A differential phase shift between the two arms of the interferometer is introduced by either a magnetic-field gradient or with an initial condensate velocity. Interference contrast is still observable at 20% with an atom propagation time of 10 ms.
We have demonstrated a novel atom interferometer which uses a free oscillation of 87Rb BEC atoms in a magnetic harmonic potential on an atom chip. This interferometer can effectively suppress the dephasing due to the trap potential by applying two Bragg laser pulses with an time interval T equal to the oscillation period of the axial mode of the magnetic trap. We observed a high contrast (~30 %) interference fringe signal for T = 58 ms. When we increased the time interval T to 97 ms, an interference fringe was washed out by the random phase fluctuation. We attributed this phase fluctuation to the external vibrational noise from the floor.
The manipulation of quantum degenerate gases has seen a flourishing of results in the last years. One of the most used tools to create and address a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is the atomchip: A lithographycally patterned surface on which gold conductors are used to generate magnetic fields. To fully realize what the atomchip has to offer the miniaturization of structures and the integration of different devices (resonators, light fields, permanent magnets) are key factors. We have devised a method to micro-engineer the trapping potentials by sculpturing the chip, overcoming some limitations of the lithographic process. Numerical simulations are done on model cases to show the potentials they generate. Experimental data collected on one of these microstructured geometries confirms the expectations and gives indications on the quality of its magnetic potential. We propose also a periodic structure allowing to observe a quantum phase transition between a BEC and a Mott insulator. A further possibility for expanding the capabilities of the atomchip is integrating light fields close to its surface. We generate an optical lattice on our chip and use it to realize an atomic beamsplitter. Coherent splitting of a BEC is observed.
A trapped-atom interferometer was demonstrated using gaseous Bose-Einstein condensates coherently split by deforming an optical single-well potential into a double-well potential. The relative phase between the two condensates was determined from the spatial phase of the matter wave interference pattern formed upon releasing the condensates from the separated potential wells. Coherent phase evolution was observed for condensates held separated by 13 microm for up to 5 ms and was controlled by applying ac Stark shift potentials to either of the two separated condensates.
We have used a microfabricated atom chip to split a single Bose-Einstein condensate of sodium atoms into two spatially separated condensates. Dynamical splitting was achieved by deforming the trap along the tightly confining direction into a purely magnetic double-well potential. We observed the matter wave interference pattern formed upon releasing the condensates from the microtraps. The intrinsic features of the quartic potential at the merge point, such as zero trap frequency and extremely high field-sensitivity, caused random variations of the relative phase between the two split condensates. Moreover, the perturbation from the abrupt change of the trapping potential during the splitting was observed to induce vortices.