Quantum superpositions of flow states on a ring

TL;DR

This paper proposes a method to create quantum superpositions of distinct flow states in ultracold atoms on a ring using Raman coupling with a superposed optical vortex field, achieving high fidelity.

Contribution

It introduces a novel scheme utilizing entangled optical vortices to generate macroscopic quantum superpositions of atomic flow states.

Findings

Fidelities of superpositions around 0.9 achieved.

Scheme works with atoms initially in ground state.

Utilizes a cat-like superposition of optical vortices.

Abstract

We propose a scheme to generate quantum superpositions of macroscopically distinct flow states of ultracold atoms on a ring using Raman coupling employing a quantized laser field that is a cat-like superposition of optical vortices with opposite winding numbers. For atoms initially in their ground state and entangled optical vortices of coherent states, this scheme can produce a superposition of rotating and non-rotating states. We find fidelities of the quantum superpositions around 0.9 even before optimization.