Heidelberg 2015 – scientific programme

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A: Fachverband Atomphysik

A 15: Ultra-cold atoms, ions and BEC II (with Q)

A 15.3: Talk

Tuesday, March 24, 2015, 15:00–15:15, C/HSW

Interferometric Measurement of the Current-Phase Relationship of a Superfluid Weak Link — •Fred Jendrzejewski, Steve Eckel, Avinash Kumar, Christopher J. Lobb, and Gretchen K. Campbell — Joint Quantum Institute, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Maryland

Weak connections between superconductors or superfluids can differ from classical links due to quantum coherence, which allows flow without resistance. Transport properties through such weak links can be described with a single function, the current-phase relationship, which serves as the quantum analog of the current-voltage relationship. Here, we present a technique for inteferometrically measuring the current-phase relationship of superfluid weak links. We interferometrically measure the phase gradient around a ring-shaped superfluid Bose-Einstein condensate containing a rotating weak link, allowing us to identify the current flowing around the ring. While our Bose-Einstein condensate weak link operates in the hydrodynamic regime, this technique can be extended to all types of weak links (including tunnel junctions) in any phase-coherent quantum gas. Moreover, it can also measure the current-phase relationships of excitations. Such measurements may open new avenues of research in quantum transport.