Atomtronics: ultracold atom analogs of electronic devices

TL;DR

This paper explores atomtronics, creating atomic analogs of electronic devices using ultracold Bose gases in lattices, demonstrating potential for advanced quantum circuits and devices.

Contribution

It introduces the design principles for atomtronic devices like diodes and transistors, establishing foundational components for quantum circuits.

Findings

Atomtronic diodes exhibit asymmetric current-voltage characteristics.

Bipolar junction transistor analogs show large negative gain.

Ultracold Bose gases can mimic electronic device functionalities.

Abstract

Atomtronics focuses on atom analogs of electronic materials, devices and circuits. A strongly interacting ultracold Bose gas in a lattice potential is analogous to electrons in solid-state crystalline media. As a consequence of the band structure, cold atoms in a lattice can exhibit insulator or conductor properties. P-type and N-type material analogs can be created by introducing impurity sites into the lattice. Current through an atomtronic wire is generated by connecting the wire to an atomtronic battery which maintains the two contacts at different chemical potentials. The design of an atomtronic diode with a strongly asymmetric current-voltage curve exploits the existence of superfluid and insulating regimes in the phase diagram. The atomtronic analog of a bipolar junction transistor exhibits large negative gain. Our results provide the building blocks for more advanced atomtronic devices and circuits such as amplifiers, oscillators and fundamental logic gates.