Darmstadt 2008 – scientific programme
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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 42: Ultrakalte Atome (Manipulation und Detektion / Quantengase)
Q 42.3: Talk
Thursday, March 13, 2008, 14:45–15:00, 1C
Coupling of Bose-Einstein condensates to mechanical cantilevers on an atomchip — •David Hunger1,2, Stephan Camerer1,2, Daniel König2, Jörg P. Kotthaus2, Jakob Reichel3, Theodor W. Hänsch1,2, and Philipp Treutlein1,2 — 1Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Garching — 2Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München — 3LKB, E.N.S., Paris
We report on the current status of our experiment which aims at coupling a BEC on an atomchip to the motion of mechanical oscillators.
We have considered different coupling schemes to realize an interaction between the two systems. The strongest coupling can be realized by a magnetic interaction, which is mediated by a ferromagnetic island on the tip of a nanomechanical cantilever. In this scenario, the resonator motion causes an oscillating magnetic field that can drive atomic spin-flip transitions. In a first experiment we want to use this to probe the thermal motion of the cantilever with the atoms. [P. Treutlein et al., PRL 99, 140403 (2007)]
In an alternative approach we consider a pure mechanical coupling, mediated by a standing wave dipole trap that is realized by reflecting a red detuned laser on the tip of an AFM cantilever. The motion of the cantilever causes motion of the standing wave, being the trap of a BEC. If the oscillation of the cantilever is resonant with the transition to the first excited motional state of the BEC, the transfer of atoms to the excited state can be used to probe the motion of the cantilever.