Hannover 2010 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Downloads | Help

A: Fachverband Atomphysik

A 23: Poster II

A 23.34: Poster

Thursday, March 11, 2010, 16:30–19:00, Lichthof

Ultracold Atoms near Superconductors — •Florian Jessen, Daniel Cano, Helge Hattermann, Max Kahmann, Dieter Kölle, Reinhold Kleiner, and József Fortágh — Center for Collective Quantum Phenomena and their Applications, Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 14, 72076 Tübingen

Hybrid quantum systems, which combine ultra-cold atoms with solid state devices, have attracted considerable attention in the last few years. Promising applications are in the areas of precision sensing and quantum information processing. We report on our experimental efforts towards the realization of such systems based on ultracold atoms and superconductors. The experiment consists of a rubidium BEC apparatus and a thermally shielded helium flow cryostat at 4.2 K in the same ultrahigh vacuum system. Atom clouds are loaded into a magnetic microtrap formed near a superconducting niobium microstructure. We observe the impact of the Meissner effect on the trap parameters and measure the spin coherence of atoms near the superconductor. The measured coherence times are the longest yet observed in the vicinity of a highly conducting material and confirm the suppression of Johnson noise in superconductors. The results have implications for the development of coherently coupled cold atom/solid state quantum devices, in which cold atoms serve as long term quantum memory.