Gradient-Based Inverse Optimization of Atom-Chip Wire Currents for BEC Transport

TL;DR

This paper presents a gradient-based inverse optimization method to compute wire currents for atom-chip transport of Bose-Einstein condensates, balancing speed and trap quality.

Contribution

It introduces a fast simulation framework that optimizes wire currents to achieve smooth atom transport with minimal trap deformation.

Findings

Optimized wire currents enable atom transport over 2.4 mm in 2-5 seconds.

Trade-offs between transport speed and adiabaticity are quantified.

The method reduces trap deformation and heating during transport.

Abstract

Modulating wire currents to shift a magnetic trap along an atom chip enables smooth contact-free delivery of Bose-Einstein condensates but can deform the confinement profile causing parametric heating and atom loss. We introduce a fast simulation framework based on inverse optimization that, given an initial trap and a predefined trajectory over time, computes a wire current schedule that transports the atoms and restores the trap geometry upon arrival. We assess trap's minimum energy, lateral displacement, confinement profile and an adiabaticity parameter over a 2.4 mm trajectory for various transport durations between 2s and 5s, demonstrating the trade-off between speed and adiabaticity.