# Fast atom transport and launching in a nonrigid trap

## TL;DR

This paper develops invariant-based inverse engineering protocols for rapid atom transport and launching in nonrigid traps, optimizing speed and final velocity distributions for various trap configurations.

## Contribution

It introduces a unified framework for fast atom shuttling and launching in both harmonic and generic traps, including double-well potentials.

## Key findings

- Protocols enable faster atom transport and launching.
- Simultaneous and sequential approaches have different speed advantages.
- Framework applies to various trap geometries and potentials.

## Abstract

We study the shuttling of an atom in a trap with controllable position and frequency. Using invariant-based inverse engineering, protocols in which the trap is simultaneously displaced and expanded are proposed to speed up transport between stationary trap locations as well as launching processes with narrow final-velocity distributions. Depending on the physical constraints imposed, either simultaneous or sequential approaches may be faster. We consider first a perfectly harmonic trap, and then extend the treatment to generic traps. Finally, we apply this general framework to a double-well potential to separate different motional states with different launching velocities.