Adjustable microchip ring trap for cold atoms and molecules

TL;DR

This paper presents a microchip-based circular magnetic waveguide for atom and molecule interferometry, enabling adjustable trapping conditions suitable for rotation sensing applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel design of a microchip ring trap with adjustable parameters and minimized perturbations, advancing atom interferometry technology.

Findings

Design of a circular magnetic waveguide with seven wires

Ability to adjust height and gradient of the trap

Minimized perturbations from wire crossings and leads

Abstract

We describe the design and function of a circular magnetic waveguide produced from wires on a microchip for atom interferometry using deBroglie waves. The guide is a two-dimensional magnetic minimum for trapping weak-field seeking states of atoms or molecules with a magnetic dipole moment. The design consists of seven circular wires sharing a common radius. We describe the design, the time-dependent currents of the wires and show that it is possible to form a circular waveguide with adjustable height and gradient while minimizing perturbation resulting from leads or wire crossings. This maximal area geometry is suited for rotation sensing with atom interferometry via the Sagnac effect using either cold atoms, molecules and Bose-condensed systems.