Resonant interaction of trapped cold atoms with a magnetic cantilever tip

Abstract

Magnetic resonance in an ensemble of laser-cooled trapped Rb atoms is excited using a microcantilever with a magnetic tip. The cantilever is mounted on a multi-layer chip designed to capture, cool, and magnetically transport cold atoms. The coupling is observed by measuring the loss from a magnetic trap as the oscillating cantilever induces Zeeman state transitions in the atoms. Interfacing cold atoms with mechanical devices could enable probing and manipulating atomic spins with nanometer spatial resolution and single-spin sensitivity, leading to new capabilities in quantum computation, quantum simulation, or precision sensing.

Fifteen years of cold matter on the atom chip: promise, realizations, and prospects

“…Here high-quality fabrication is required at several levels. The resonant interaction of trapped cold atoms with a magnetic cantilever tip has been demonstrated in a joint project of the Kitching and Geraci groups [ 232 ]. A proposal evaluating the interaction between a vibrating CNT and a BEC found a coupling that is strong enough to sense quantum features of the CNT current noise spectrum [ 233 ].…”

“…As discussed above, a multi-layer hybrid atom chip was used to magnetically transport cold atoms to the vicinity of a microcantilever [ 232 ] (Section 3.5 ). In addition to atom loss measurements for atom-cantilever separations of about , the system was analysed as a detector for the force exerted on the cantilevers by the atoms at a range of a several .…”

Cooling flexural modes of a mechanical oscillator by magnetically trapped Bose-Einstein-condensate atoms

“…A few years ago, interactions between a mechanical oscillator and Bose-Einstein-Condensation (BEC) atoms via surface force of the mechanical oscillator was realized [20]. Recently, magnetic cantilever tip resonant with trapped cold atoms is presented [22]. The magnetic trapped BEC [23] and mechanical oscillators on atom chips are reviewed in Ref.…”

An optical elevator for precise delivery of cold atoms using an acousto-optical deflector

“…One common motivation is to deliver cold atoms to a "science chamber" benefiting from a lower vacuum pressure and/or better optical access than a "loading chamber" where a magneto-optical trap (MOT) is produced. Transport is also required to enable the interaction of cold atomic samples with in-vacuum microscopic devices such as optical microcavities [1,2,3,4,5,6] or micromechanical resonators [7,8,9], whose size precludes the direct loading of a MOT in their vicinity.…”