Search

Variational quantum algorithms aim at harnessing the power of noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) computers, by using a classical optimizer to train a parameterized quantum circuit to solve tractable quantum problems. The variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) is one of the aforementioned algorithms designed to determine the ground-state of many-body Hamiltonians. Here, we apply the VQE to study the ground-state properties of N -component fermions. With such knowledge, we study the persistent current of interacting SU(N) fermions, which is employed to reliably map out the different quantum phases of the system. Our approach lays out the basis for a current-based quantum simulator of many-body systems that can be implemented on NISQ computers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the reflection and transmission properties of matter wave solitons impinging on localized scattering potentials in one spatial dimension. By mean field analysis we identify regimes where the solitons behave more like waves or more like particles as a result of the interplay between the dispersive wave propagation and the attractive interactions between the atoms. For a bright soliton propagating together with a dark soliton void in a two-species Bose-Einstein condensate, we find different reflection and transmission properties of the dark and the bright components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atomtronics is a relatively new subfield of atomic physics that aims to realize the device behavior of electronic components in ultracold atom-optical systems. The fact that these systems are coherent makes them particularly interesting since, in addition to current, one can impart quantum states onto the current carriers themselves or perhaps perform quantum computational operations on them. After reviewing the fundamental ideas of this subfield, we report on the theoretical and experimental progress made towards developing externally-driven and closed loop devices. The functionality and potential applications for these atom analogs to electronic and spintronic systems is also discussed.

We study the reflection and transmission properties of matter wave solitons impinging on localized scattering potentials in one spatial dimension. By mean field analysis we identify regimes where the solitons behave more like waves or more like particles as a result of the interplay between the dispersive wave propagation and the attractive interactions between the atoms. For a bright soliton propagating together with a dark soliton void in a two-species Bose-Einstein condensate, we find different reflection and transmission properties of the dark and the bright components.

For flowing quantum gases, it has been found that at long times an initial black-hole laser (BHL) configuration exhibits only two possible states: the ground state or a periodic self-oscillating state of continuous emission of solitons. So far, all the works on this subject are based on a highly idealized model, quite difficult to implement experimentally. Here we study the instability spectrum and the time evolution of a recently proposed realistic model of a BHL, thus providing a useful theoretical tool for the clear identification of black-hole lasing in future experiments. We further confirm the existence of a well-defined phase diagram at long times, which bespeaks universality in the long-time behavior of a BHL. Additionally, we develop a complementary model in which the same potential profile is applied to a subsonic homogeneous flowing condensate that, despite not forming a BHL, evolves toward the same phase diagram as the associated BHL model. This result reveals an even stronger form of robustness in the long-time behavior with respect to the transient, which goes beyond what has been described in the previous literature.

The outcoupling of a Bose-Einstein condensate through an optical lattice provides an interesting scenario to study quantum transport phenomena or the analog Hawking effect as the system can reach a quasi-stationary black-hole configuration. We devote this work to characterize the quantum transport properties of quasi-particles on top of this black-hole configuration by computing the corresponding scattering matrix. We find that most of the features can be understood in terms of the usual Schrödinger scattering. In particular, a transmission band appears in the spectrum, with the normal-normal transmission dominating over the anomalous-normal one. We show that this picture still holds in a realistic experimental situation where the actual Gaussian envelope of the optical lattice is considered. A peaked resonant structure is displayed near the upper end of the transmission band, which suggests that the proposed setup is a good candidate to provide a clear signal of spontaneous Hawking radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This brief review covers the recent developments in a new emerging subfield of ultracold atoms: atomtronics, in which cold atoms trapped in optical fields or lattices are manipulated for the development of electronic and optical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open many-body quantum systems have recently gained renewed interest in the context of quantum information science and quantum transport with biological clusters and ultracold atomic gases. A series of results in diverse setups is presented, based on a Master equation approach to describe the dissipative dynamics of ultracold bosons in a one-dimensional lattice. The creation of mesoscopic stable many-body structures in the lattice is predicted and the non-equilibrium transport of neutral atoms in the regime of strong and weak interactions is studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Operation of an atomtronic battery is demonstrated where a finite-temperature Bose–Einstein condensate stored in one half of a double-well potential is coupled to an initially empty load well that is impedance matched by a resonant terminator beam. The atom number and temperature of the condensate are monitored during the discharge cycle, and are used to calculate fundamental properties of the battery. The discharge behavior is analyzed according to a Thévenin equivalent circuit that contains a finite internal resistance to account for dissipation in the battery. Battery performance at multiple discharge rates is characterized by the peak power output, and the current and energy capacities of the system.

The transport of atoms is experimentally studied in a transistor-like triple-well potential consisting of a narrow gate well surrounded by source and drain wells. Atoms are initially loaded into the source well with pre-determined temperature and chemical potential. Energetic atoms flow from the source, across the gate, and into the drain where they are removed using a resonant light beam. The manifestation of atom–atom interactions and dissipation is evidenced by a rapid population growth in the initially vacant gate well. The transport dynamics are shown to depend strongly on a feedback parameter determined by the relative heights of the two barriers forming the gate region. For a range of feedback parameter values, experiments establish that the gate atoms develop a larger chemical potential and lower temperature than those in the source.

Recent experimental advances in realizing degenerate quantum dipolar gases in optical lattices and the flexibility of experimental setups in attaining various geometries offer the opportunity to explore exotic quantum many-body phases stabilized by anisotropic, long-range dipolar interaction. Moreover, the unprecedented control over the various physical properties of these systems, ranging from the quantum statistics of the particles, to the inter-particle interactions, allow one to engineer novel devices. In this paper, we consider dipolar bosons trapped in a stack of one-dimensional optical lattice layers, previously studied in (Safavi-Naini et al 2014 Phys. Rev. A http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.90.043604 90 http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.90.043604 ). Building on our prior results, we provide a description of the quantum phases stabilized in this system which include composite superfluids (CSFs), solids, and supercounterfluids, most of which are found to be threshold-less with respect to the dipolar interaction strength. We also demonstrate the effect of enhanced sensitivity to rotations of a SQUID-type device made of two CSF trapped in a ring-shaped optical lattice layer with weak links.

In this paper, we present an electrode geometry for the manipulation of ultracold, rovibrational ground state NaK molecules. The electrode system allows to induce a dipole moment in trapped diatomic NaK molecules with a magnitude up to 68% of their internal dipole moment along any direction in a given two-dimensional plane. The strength, the sign and the direction of the induced dipole moment is therefore fully tunable. The maximal relative variation of the electric field over the trapping volume is below 10 ^−6 . At the desired electric field value of 10 kV cm ^−1 this corresponds to a deviation of 0.01 V cm ^−1 . Furthermore, the possibility to create strong electric field gradients provides the opportunity to address molecules in single layers of an optical lattice. The electrode structure is made of transparent indium tin oxide and combines large optical access for sophisticated optical dipole traps and optical lattice configurations with the possibility to create versatile electric field configurations.

The topological Kondo (TK) model has been proposed in solid-state quantum devices as a way to realize non-Fermi liquid behaviors in a controllable setting. Another motivation behind the TK model proposal is the demand to demonstrate the quantum dynamical properties of Majorana fermions, which are at the heart of their potential use in topological quantum computation. Here we consider a junction of crossed Tonks–Girardeau gases arranged in a star-geometry (forming a Y -junction), and we perform a theoretical analysis of this system showing that it provides a physical realization of the TK model in the realm of cold atom systems. Using computer-generated holography, we experimentally implement a Y -junction suitable for atom trapping, with controllable and independent parameters. The junction and the transverse size of the atom waveguides are of the order of 5 μ m, leading to favorable estimates for the Kondo temperature and for the coupling across the junction. Since our results show that all the required theoretical and experimental ingredients are available, this provides the demonstration of an ultracold atom device that may in principle exhibit the TK effect.

We demonstrate that the transport characteristics of deep optical lattices with one or multiple off-resonant external energy offsets can be greatly enhanced by modulating the lattice depth in an exotic way. We derive effective stationary models for our proposed modulation schemes in the strongly interacting limit, where only one particle can occupy any given site. Afterwards we discuss the modifications necessary to recover transport when more than one particle may occupy the lattice sites. For the specific five-site lattices discussed, we numerically predict transport gains for ranging from $4.7\times {10}^{6}$ to $9.8\times {10}^{8}$ .

We study the atomtronic quantum interference device employing a semiclassical perspective. We consider an M site ring that is described by the Bose–Hubbard Hamiltonian. Coherent Rabi oscillations in the flow of the current are feasible, with an enhanced frequency due to chaos-assisted tunneling. We highlight the consequences of introducing a weak-link into the circuit. In the latter context we clarify the phase–space considerations that are involved in setting up an effective ‘systems plus bath’ description in terms of Josephson–Caldeira–Leggett Hamiltonian.

A semiclassical formalism is used to investigate the transistor-like behavior of ultracold atoms in a triple-well potential. Atom current flows from the source well, held at fixed chemical potential and temperature, into an empty drain well. In steady-state, the gate well located between the source and drain is shown to acquire a well-defined chemical potential and temperature, which are controlled by the relative height of the barriers separating the three wells. It is shown that the gate chemical potential can exceed that of the source and have a lower temperature. In electronics terminology, the source–gate junction can be reverse-biased. As a result, the device exhibits regimes of negative resistance and transresistance, indicating the presence of gain. Given an external current input to the gate, transistor-like behavior is characterized both in terms of the current gain, which can be greater than unity, and the power output of the device.

A spin–orbit-coupled Bose–Einstein-condensed cloud of atoms confined in an annular trapping potential shows a variety of phases that we investigate in the present study. Starting with the non-interacting problem, the homogeneous phase that is present in an untrapped system is replaced by a sinusoidal density variation in the limit of a very narrow annulus. In the case of an untrapped system there is another phase with a striped-like density distribution, and its counterpart is also found in the limit of a very narrow annulus. As the width of the annulus increases, this picture persists qualitatively. Depending on the relative strength between the inter- and the intra-components, interactions either favor the striped phase, or suppress it, in which case either a homogeneous, or a sinusoidal-like phase appears. Interactions also give rise to novel solutions with a nonzero circulation.

We demonstrate the feasibility of generation of quasi-stable counter-propagating solitonic structures in an atomic Bose–Einstein condensate confined in a realistic toroidal geometry, and identify optimal parameter regimes for their experimental observation. Using density engineering we numerically identify distinct regimes of motion of the emerging macroscopic excitations, including both solitonic motion along the azimuthal ring direction, such that structures remain visible after multiple collisions even in the presence of thermal fluctuations, and snaking instabilities leading to the decay of the excitations into vortical structures. Our analysis, which considers both mean field effects and fluctuations, is based on the ring trap geometry of Murray et al (2013 Phys. Rev. A http://arXiv.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.88.053615 88 http://arXiv.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.88.053615 ).

We investigate the role of interatomic interactions when a Bose gas, in a double-well potential with a finite tunneling probability (a ‘Bose–Josephson junction’), is exposed to external noise. We examine the rate of decoherence of a system initially in its ground state with equal probability amplitudes in both sites. The noise may induce two kinds of effects: firstly, random shifts in the relative phase or number difference between the two wells and secondly, loss of atoms from the trap. The effects of induced phase fluctuations are mitigated by atom–atom interactions and tunneling, such that the dephasing rate may be suppressed by half its single-atom value. Random fluctuations may also be induced in the population difference between the wells, in which case atom–atom interactions considerably enhance the decoherence rate. A similar scenario is predicted for the case of atom loss, even if the loss rates from the two sites are equal. We find that if the initial state is number-squeezed due to interactions, then the loss process induces population fluctuations that reduce the coherence across the junction. We examine the parameters relevant for these effects in a typical atom chip device, using a simple model of the trapping potential, experimental data, and the theory of magnetic field fluctuations near metallic conductors. These results provide a framework for mapping the dynamical range of barriers engineered for specific applications and set the stage for more complex atom circuits (‘atomtronics’).

We demonstrate how a toroidal Bose–Einstein condensate with a movable barrier can be used to realize an atomtronic SQUID. The magnitude of the barrier height, which creates the analogue of an SNS junction, is of crucial importance, as well as its ramp-up and -down protocol. For too low of a barrier, the relaxation of the system is dynamically suppressed, due to the small rate of phase slips at the barrier. For a higher barrier, the phase coherence across the barrier is suppressed due to thermal fluctuations, which are included in our Truncated Wigner approach. Furthermore, we show that the ramp-up protocol of the barrier can be improved by ramping up its height first, and its velocity after that. This protocol can be further improved by optimizing the ramp-up and ramp-down time scales, which is of direct practical relevance for on-going experimental realizations.

Spatial adiabatic passage processes for ultracold atoms trapped in tunnel-coupled cylindrically symmetric concentric potentials are investigated. Specifically, we discuss the matter-wave analog of the rapid adiabatic passage (RAP) technique for a high fidelity and robust loading of a single atom into a harmonic ring potential from a harmonic trap, and for its transport between two concentric rings. We also consider a system of three concentric rings and investigate the transport of a single atom between the innermost and the outermost rings making use of the matter-wave analog of the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) technique. We describe the RAP-like and STIRAP-like dynamics by means of a two- and a three-state model, respectively, obtaining good agreement with the numerical simulations of the corresponding two-dimensional Schrödinger equation.

The fundamental dynamics of ultracold atomtronic devices are reflected in their phonon modes of excitation. We probe such a spectrum by applying a harmonically driven potential barrier to a ^23 Na Bose–Einstein condensate in a ring-shaped trap. This perturbation excites phonon wavepackets. When excited resonantly, these wavepackets display a regular periodic structure. The resonant frequencies depend upon the particular configuration of the barrier, but are commensurate with the orbital frequency of a Bogoliubov sound wave traveling around the ring. Energy transfer to the condensate over many cycles of the periodic wavepacket motion causes enhanced atom loss from the trap at resonant frequencies. Solutions of the time-dependent Gross–Pitaevskii equation exhibit quantitative agreement with the experimental data. We also observe the generation of supersonic shock waves under conditions of strong excitation, and collisions of two shock wavepackets.

An integrated coherent matter wave circuit is a single device, analogous to an integrated optical circuit, in which coherent de Broglie waves are created and then launched into waveguides where they can be switched, divided, recombined, and detected as they propagate. Applications of such circuits include guided atom interferometers, atomtronic circuits, and precisely controlled delivery of atoms. Here we report experiments demonstrating integrated circuits for guided coherent matter waves. The circuit elements are created with the painted potential technique, a form of time-averaged optical dipole potential in which a rapidly moving, tightly focused laser beam exerts forces on atoms through their electric polarizability. The source of coherent matter waves is a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC). We launch BECs into painted waveguides that guide them around bends and form switches, phase coherent beamsplitters, and closed circuits. These are the basic elements that are needed to engineer arbitrarily complex matter wave circuitry.

Ultracold gases promise many applications in quantum metrology, simulation and computation. In this context, optimal control theory (OCT) provides a versatile framework for the efficient preparation of complex quantum states. However, due to the high computational cost, OCT of ultracold gases has so far mostly been applied to one-dimensional (1D) problems. Here, we realize computationally efficient OCT of the Gross–Pitaevskii equation to manipulate Bose–Einstein condensates in all three spatial dimensions. We study various realistic experimental applications where 1D simulations can only be applied approximately or not at all. Moreover, we provide a stringent mathematical footing for our scheme and carefully study the creation of elementary excitations and their minimization using multiple control parameters. The results are directly applicable to recent experiments and might thus be of immediate use in the ongoing effort to employ the properties of the quantum world for technological applications.

Abstract: With the announcement of the recent successful production of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of photons, a circle has been completed which started in 1925 with the vision of Albert Einstein and Satyendra Nath Bose – a sustained macroscopic condensed state of matter where all atoms are in the same lowest quantum state. The creation of an all-optical BEC, involving a surprisingly straightforward “tabletop” method which bypasses the normally requisite laser/evaporative cooling equipment and ultra-high vacuum chambers necessary for production of the standard delicate atomic BEC, elevates this phenomenon to a new level well beyond its current perception as mere laboratory curiosity. Accordingly, this development certainly heralds eventual incorporation of atomic and photon BECs as standard operating components of energy-efficient mechanical, optical and electrical systems, implying novel ingenious engineering protocols amenable to all the tools of non-linear and quantum optics. Pointing towards such a promising technological future are the suggestion that a photon BEC could serve as a new high-energy ultra-violet (UV) laser photon source, as well as the recent unprecedented implementation of a closed-loop atom circuit (toroidal atomic BEC) demonstrating precise control of superfluid current flow, forecasting the coveted development of an atomic SQUID. Perhaps more significantly, the new highly robust and manageable optical BEC will allow heretofore unfathomable precise probing of the atomic and nano-levels of nature, affording novel high-quality testing procedures of the major foundations of quantum mechanics itself. Such a primary advancement, providing a clearer glimpse into the microscopic realms, may present us as never before with an unprecedented view of the quantum engine that underpins physical reality itself and help place the contextual nature of entanglement and quantum superposition on a firmer foundation. Thus, further progress in achieving mastery over the precise flexible manipulation of BEC states could demonstrate that quantum contextuality might be an unsuspected over-arching archetypal principle in nature, leading to new insight in regards to the interpretation of quantum mechanics as applied to all levels of nature. Moreover, it will be shown that this concealed and hence heretofore unsuspected contextual aspect of natural laws, as exemplified by the dynamics underlying BEC structure, could be brought to bear to account for physical anomalies inexplicable using current paradigms, such as the claimed energy yields from low-energy nuclear reactions (as represented by the so-called process of “cold fusion”), making this phenomenon more tractable and rendered less controversial. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]