Magnetic confinement of neutral atoms based on patterned vortex distributions in superconducting disks and rings

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method for trapping neutral atoms using vortex patterns in superconducting disks and rings, enabling versatile and low-noise atom traps for advanced quantum applications.

Contribution

It presents a new approach to create various atom traps by imprinting vortex patterns in superconductors using magnetic field pulses, with detailed procedures and analysis.

Findings

Successful design of quadrupole, self-sufficient, and ring traps

Low current noise enhances trap stability and coherence

Versatile vortex patterning enables customizable atom traps

Abstract

We propose and analyze neutral atom traps generated by vortices imprinted by magnetic field pulse sequences in type-II superconducting disks and rings. We compute the supercurrent distribution and magnetic field resulting from the vortices in the superconductor. Different patterns of vortices can be written by versatile loading field sequences. We discuss in detail procedures to generate quadrupole traps, self-sufficient traps and ring traps based on superconducting disks and rings. The ease of creating these traps and the low current noise in supercurrent carrying structures makes our approach attractive for designing atom chip interferometers and probes.