Swinburne University of Technology

Applications of Magnetic
Lattices for Ultracold Atoms

Student: Supervisor:
Tien Tran Prof. Peter Hannaford
100027818 Prof. Russell McLean

Centre for Quantum and Optical Science

November 2015
Contents

1 Literature Review 1

2 Present work 5
2.1 Sub-micron magnetic lattice fabrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.2 AFM and MFM tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.3 Direct-Bonded Copper atom chip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

3 Future work 15
3.1 Atom-surface interactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.2 Quantum tunneling in a sub-micron period magnetic lattice . . . . 16
3.3 General plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.4 Significance of the research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Bibliography 19

i
Chapter 1

Literature Review

In atomic physics, quantum simulation with ultracold atoms is currently consid-

ered to be one of the most promising methods to better understand unsolved
quantum Hamiltonian systems and other complex phenomena in condensed mat-
ter physics. Thanks to advances in the controllability of experimental parameters
such as dimensionality, atomic interactions, level of purity and disorder, etc. ex-
periments on ultracold quantum gas systems have opened the way to address chal-
lenging questions in the field. Among them, trapping ultracold atoms in periodic
lattices can act as an important simulator for condensed matter systems.

Recently, periodic lattices have attracted much attention in modern physics for
their ability to confine, manipulate and control clouds of ultracold atoms. Optical
lattices, produced by interfering laser fields, are used extensively to trap periodic
arrays of ultracold atoms and quantum degenerate gases, including Bose-Einstein
condensates and ultracold Fermi gases. The periodicity can be controlled by vary-
ing the angle between the laser beams while the potential height and position can
be manipulated with laser detuning. Applications of optical lattices range from
simulations of exotic condensed matter phenomena [1] to high precision atomic
clocks [2] and storage registers for quantum information processing [3]. However,
despite their broad range of applications, optical lattices still have certain limita-
tions such as a low degree of design flexibility, difficulty in generating arbitrary trap
geometries, restrictions on the lattice spacing imposed by the optical wavelength,
presence of spontaneous emission, etc [4].

Magnetic lattices, which consist of periodic arrays of magnetic microtraps, can

be created by techniques including patterning an array of current carrying wires
1
Chapter 1. Literature Review 2

[57], permanent magnetized films [4, 810] or vortex arrays of superconducting

films [11]. Investigations have demonstrated that magnetic lattices created by
permanent magnetic microstructures on a magnetic film can provide a potentially
powerful alternative approach for trapping periodic arrays of ultracold atoms and
quantum degenerate gases [8]. For magnetic lattices, the trap geometries and
lattice spacing are not restricted by the interfering laser fields or the optical wave-
length, which consequently makes it easier to produce more complex geometries
such as a honeycomb lattice. Additionally, magnetic lattices are inherently low in
heating rate and produce less technical noise, have highly stable potentials, and
are ideally suited for mounting on atom chips. Such characteristics make mag-
netic lattices attractive for investigation of complex phenomena such as quantum
tunneling experiments of ultracold bosonic and fermionic atoms and to simulate
condensed matter phenomena such as the superfluid to Mott insulator quantum
phase transition [1, 12] and graphene-like states in honeycomb magnetic lattices,
etc.

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(a) (b)
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$%# 4&567*8198(#.%2'"2)3*(
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(

Figure 1.1: (a) Schematic of the Tb6 Gd10 Fe80 Co4 magnetic lattice structure
with 1D-equipotential contour lines (Calculation with parameters: rad /2 =
7.5 kHz, ax /2 = 260 Hz, magnetization 4Mz = 3 kG, a = 10 m, film thick-
ness t = 1 m). (b) Multilayered structure of the Tb6 Gd10 Fe80 Co4 magnetic
film.

The first magnetic traps were reported in 1985 by Midgall et al. [13]. Seven years
later, Opat et al. [14] proposed a periodic array of magnetic fields of alternating
Chapter 1. Literature Review 3

polarity as a magnetic mirror for reflecting beams of laser cooled atoms. In 1995,
Roach et al. [15] demonstrated the retroflection of cold atoms from a periodically
magnetised surface. In 1996, Sidorov et al. [16] observed specular reflection and
multiple bounces of laser-cooled caesium atoms from a magnetostatic mirror based
on a periodic array of rare-earth magnets.

In 1998, Sidorov et al. [17] reported the fabrication of a grooved 10 m period mag-
netic structure using electron beam lithography. This structure showed the same
magnetic field pattern as the one using a periodic array of magnets of alternating
polarity proposed by Opat et al. [14] in 1992, but permitted a small micron-scale
period. In 1999, a periodic magnetic mirror fabricated using optical lithography
[18] was reported. The mirror was based on an array of current-carrying gold con-
ductors of periodicity 330 m mounted on a silicon wafer. As the wires carry the
same current, the magnetic flux created from this magnetic mirror will be more
homogeneous to create a flat mirror for reflection than magnetostatic mirrors.
Additionally, through easy adjustment of the current, the control of the magnetic
field is greater.

In 1999, the first trapped cloud of Rb atoms on an atom chip was reported by
Reichel et al. [19] using U-shaped and Z-shaped current-carrying wires plus the
addition of an external bias field. In the following year, a nanofabricated atom
chip was utilized for atom trapping by Folman et al. [20]. The chip was fabricated
by patterning a gold layer of thickness 2.5 m on a GaAs substrate. This was
considered as a significant improvement in the trapping field and provided a good
base for the launch of a wide range of successful trapping experiments using an
atom chip. This atom chip was better for reducing current density fluctuations,
which can cause fragmentation of cold atom clouds when using the magnetic field
from current-carrying wires.

In 2001, the first BEC using current-carrying wire microtraps 1.6 mm from the
surface of an atom chip was reported by the Tubingen [21] and Munich [22] groups.
In 2002, a scheme for creating 1D and 2D arrays of magnetic microtraps arrays
was proposed using a static magnetic field from gold current carrying wires [5].
In 2003, another 2D array trapping scheme using two overlayed layers of crossed
wires was reported by Grabowski and Pfau [23]. In 2005, a BEC was created using
a permanent-magnet atom chip based on a magnetised videotape by Sinclair et al.
[24]. In the same year, Gunther et al. [25] were able to bring the trapped cloud
closer to the chip surfaces without fragmentation using a combined atom chip
Chapter 1. Literature Review 4

which consisted of a carrier chip and a micron-scale current carrying wire chip.
Also, in the same year, our group successfully produced a BEC on a TbGdFeCo
permanent magnetic film mounted on a current-carrying wire structure [26].

In 2006, the Swinburne group [27] proposed a scheme to produce 1D and 2D mag-
netic lattices with non-zero minima using periodic arrays of permanent magnetic
films. In the same year, Yun and Yin [28] proposed a scheme to produce 2D
arrays of magnetic traps with non-zero potential minima using current-carrying
conductors with the ability to vary the barrier height. In 2007, a 2D rectangu-
lar magnetic lattice with 22 m and 36 m spacing in orthogonal directions was
87
created by the Amsterdam group [29]. Rb atoms in the |F = 2, mF = 2i state
were successfully trapped in multiple sites at 10 m from the surface with a trap
lifetime of more than 1 second. However, they were unable to reach BEC due to
large three-body recombination losses [30]. In the same year, the MIT group [31]
produced a single BEC in a magnetic trapping potential created by a 23 nm-thick
CoCrPt magnetic film. In 2008, the Swinburne group [10] succeeded in loading
and trapping Rb atoms in a 1D magnetic lattice created by a grooved TbGdFeCo
magnetic film. In 2009, Abdelrahman et al. [32] proposed a scheme to create a
2D magnetic lattice by milling an nn array of square holes in a magnetic film.
In 2010, Schmied et al. [33] introduced a programming algorithm for designing
periodic arrays of magnetic traps based on permanent magnetic films. This code
produces the desired lattice geometries with optimal magnetic properties in both
1D and 2D, which generates output straightforward for fabrication. Using this
algorithm, in 2014 the Amsterdam group [34] fabricated 10 m-period square and
87
triangular lattices for trapping Rb atoms.
Chapter 2

Present work

2.1 Sub-micron magnetic lattice fabrication

In our Magnetic Lattice group in the Centre of Quantum and Optical Science at
Swinburne, we have been using a one-dimensional 10 m-period Tb10 Gd6 Fe80 Co4
magnetic film mounted on an micromachined silver-foil atom chip, providing a plat-
form to trap ultracold atoms for Bose Einstein condensation (BEC) experiments.
A periodic microstructure consisting of one-thousand parallel grooves of 10 mm
length and 10 m spacing with total dimension 10 10 mm2 was etched in the
centre of a 300 m-thick, 3535 mm2 silicon wafer. The grooved microstructure
was then coated with six layers of 160 nm-thick magneto-optical Tb6 Gd10 Fe80 Co4
film, separated by 100 nm-thick non-magnetic chromium layers. Finally, a 150
nm-thick gold film was deposited on the top (reflectivity > 95 % at 780 nm) for
the mirror MOT and for reflective absorption imaging of the atom clouds. The
TbGdFeCo microstructure was magnetized in a strong magnetic field perpendic-
ular to the surface of the film leading to a remanent perpendicular magnetization
4Mz = 3 kG with a coercivity Hc = 6 kOe of the film [10]. So far, trapping
of ultracold 87 Rb |F = 2, mF = 2i atoms in multiple lattice sites has been demon-
strated in the work of M. Singh et al. [10], and the realization of multiple BECs
87
of Rb |F = 1, mF = 1i atoms has been published in the work of Smitha Jose
et al. [35] and Surendran et. al [36].

In the meantime, the fabrication of a new sub-micron period magnetic film struc-
ture has been completed. The new magnetic film structure is a promising can-
didate for experiments involving quantum simulation. Thanks to big advances
5
Chapter 2. Present work 6

in materials science, a new state-of-the-art magnetic material comprising atomic

bilayers of Co/Pd was used to replace the Tb10 Gd6 Fe80 Co4 magnetic film; the new
films have a larger perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), larger remanent
magnetization, higher Curie temperature and much smaller grain size [4]. These
properties were considered for their key roles in producing smooth, homogeneous
magnetic potentials and dense magnetic microtraps to trap atoms in sub-micron-
period arrays.

Figure 2.1: Structure of the multilayer Co/Pd magnetic film (not to scale)
[4].

Figure 2.2: (a) Hysteresis loop of the multilayer Co/Pd magnetic film mea-
sured by magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE). (b) Scanning electron microscope
(SEM) and magnetic force microscope (MFM) (inset) images of the surface of
demagnetised Co/Pd film [4].

A schematic of the new multilayer Co/Pd magnetic film, which was provided by
Prof. Manfred Albrecht from the University of Augsburg, Germany, is shown in
Chapter 2. Present work 7

Figure 2.1. There are a total of 8 bilayers of alternating Co (0.28 nm) and Pd
(0.9 nm) in the film. The measured coercivity for this film is Hc = 1.0 kOe, as
can be seen in Figure 2.2 (a), and the saturation magnetization for 8 bi-layers of
Co/Pd is 4Ms = 5.9 kG. The number of bilayers can be varied to obtain a high
surface magnetic field or a high PMA within a trade-off relation [4]. The Co/Pd
magnetic film was deposited on a 330 mm-thick silicon substrate. Finally, a 1.1
nm thick layer of Pd was coated on the top of the stack to protect the film from
oxidation. The SEM tests of our samples showed a practical grain size of about 10
nm, compared with the nominal value of 6 nm. This small scale is appropriate for
producing high resolution magnetic structures and the fabrication of sub-micron
scale magnetic lattice structures.

During the pattern design procedure, an optimization algorithm developed by

Schmied et al. [37] was used to calculate the desired lattice geometries. This algo-
rithm generates a binary image which encodes the magnetic versus non-magnetic
regions within one unit cell, so that the generated pattern has pixels with either
zero or maximal magnetization. This image is then exported to a format suit-
able for the lithographic patterning software. Thanks to the binary nature of the
pattern, the fabrication is rather straightforward by etching away the pixels with
zero magnetization. The advantage of this method is to give more freedom for the
design of complicated patterns such as triangular, hexagonal, etc. which is limited
in other methods.

For the fabrication of the new magnetic film, e-beam lithography (EBL) followed
by reactive ion etching (RIE) microfabrication techniques were chosen for their
high resolution, high versatility and the possibility to produce arbitrary submicron
scale magnetization patterns [4]. At first, EBL, a maskless direct write method
using electron beams focused on an electron-sensitive resist to generate the desire
patterns on the Co/Pd film, was used (Figure 2.3). Then, the magnetic film was
plasma-etched with argon by RIE. A 10 nm etch depth was chosen to ensure the
magnetic film is completely removed from the non magnetic zones for production
of a binary pattern. In the next stage, acetone was used to remove the remain-
ing resist and then a 50 nm gold reflecting layer, which is used for creating the
mirror-MOT, was deposited over the surface. Finally, a 25 nm SiO2 layer was
deposited to prevent rubidium atoms from reacting with the gold surface [4]. The
fabrication work was performed in the nano-fabrication facility in the Centre for
Chapter 2. Present work 8

MicroPhotonics at Swinburne University of Technology and at the Melbourne Cen-

tre for Nanofabrication at Monash University by Pierrette Michaux and Amandas
Balcytis.

(a) (b) (c)

(d) (e)

Figure 2.3: Sequential process of patterning the magnetic film: (a) spin coat-
ing of PMMA positive resist, (b) EBL exposure, (c) resist development, (d)
plasma etching by ion bombardment, and finally (e) removal of the remaining
resist. The colour label is: blue: magnetic film, red: resist, dark blue: substrate
[4].

2.2 AFM and MFM tests

So far, a new 3540 mm2 Co/Pd magnetic film which contains four 0.8 mm0.8
mm magnetic lattice structures consisting of one 5 m-period 1D lattice, one 0.7
m-period 1D lattice, one 0.7 m-period 2D square lattice and one 0.7 m-period
2D triangular lattice, as shown in Figure 2.4, was successfully fabricated. The 5
m-period 1D lattice will be used for system optimization while the other three 0.7
m-period lattices will serve as platforms for performing the main experiments.

The simulations indicate that for a 0.7 m-period 1D magnetic lattice with re-
manent perpendicular magnetization 4Mz = 5.9 kG and magnetic film thickness
t = 2.24 nm, the application of a bias field Bby = 3 G will produce an array of 1D
Chapter 2. Present work 9

Figure 2.4: Fabricated structure of the new magnetic film.

Figure 2.5: SEM results for (a) a 5 m-period 1D magnetic lattice and (b) a
0.7 m-period 1D magnetic lattice. The dark regions correspond to the etched
part and the bright regions are the magnetic film.

microtraps with zmin = 280 nm. In order to avoid Majorana spin-flips, which can
cause the loss of trapped atoms, the trap bottom is set to BIP = 1 G. As a result,
the barrier heights in the y and z directions are By = 5.1 G and Bz = 2.2
87
G, respectively, which correspond to 171 K and 73 K for Rb atoms in the
|F = 1, mF = 1i state. In practice, these barrier heights are sufficient to trap
atoms pre-cooled to 10-15 K with trapping frequencies y /2 z /2 100
kHz.
Chapter 2. Present work 10

Figure 2.6: (a) Small-scale SEM (a) and large-scale SEM (b) images of the
fabricated 0.7 m-period 1D structure. The edge roughness of parallel trenches
is around 40 nm. The period of the structure is measured to be 688 nm. The
dark regions correspond to the etched part and the bright regions are the mag-
netic film [4].

For the 2D square magnetic lattice structure of the same magnetic film, the ap-
plication of bias fields of Bbx = 1.7 G, Bby = 0.8 G will create lattice traps at
zmin = 350 nm, with a Ioffe field of BIP = 1.1 G. The trap barrier height is 1.42 G
in both the x and y directions and 0.78 G in the z direction, which correspond to
trap depths of 47 K and 26 K, respectively. The corresponding trap frequencies
are z /2 /2 120 kHz and k /2 37 kHz.

For the 2D triangular lattice, the application of bias fields of Bbx = 0.1 G, Bby =
1.0 G will create traps at zmin = 350 nm from the film surface, with a Ioffe field
of BIP = 0.36 G. The trap barrier heights are 0.62 G in the z direction and 1.3 G
along all three triangular lattice directions. The corresponding trap depths are
21 K and 43 K, respectively, and the trap frequencies are x /2 36 kHz and
y /2 z /2 145 kHz.

For the next step, the new magnetic film structures were tested for fabrication
quality using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) (Figure 2.6, 2.7) and the mag-
netic properties using Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM) (Figure 2.8) as a final
check before using in experiments. During SEM examination, the quality of the
surface and the period of the grooved structures was examined. In general, the
quality of the fabricated 2D structures is rather good with reasonable symmetries.

For the MFM tests, the magnetized structures were scanned in dynamic mode (AC
mode) to map the magnetic field. The AC mode, which provides a measure of the
difference in phase of the oscillating cantilever-sample system, was used to increase
Chapter 2. Present work 11

Figure 2.7: SEM results for (a) 0.7 m-period 2D square magnetic lattice
structure and (b) 0.7 m-period 2D triangular magnetic lattice structure. The
dark regions correspond to the etched part and the bright regions are the mag-
netic film.

Figure 2.8: (a) MFM scan of the 0.7 m-period 1D magnetic microstructure
at a tip-surface distance of 50 nm. (b) Plots of the natural logarithm of the
amplitude of the MFM signal versus tip-surface distance z and the profile of the
MFM signal in the y direction at a tip-surface distance of 50 nm (Inset) . The
red line is a fitted decay curve and the fitted curve to the data points from the
oscillating signal (inset) [4].
Chapter 2. Present work 12

the accuracy of the test by increasing the signal-to-noise ratio. The magnetized tip,
treated as a point dipole, oscillates at its resonant frequency with a small amplitude
in the z-direction and scans the surface of the examined samples. The MFM signal
is proportional to the second spatial derivative of the z-component of magnetic
field, and depends on the oscillating signal in the y-direction corresponding to the
periodicity of the 1D structures and the decay length in the z-direction, k 1 = a/2
[4]. To check the quality of the magnetic lattice, the dependence of the amplitude
of the oscillating MFM signal on the distance of the MFM tip from the etched
magnetic film was examined. From the oscillation profile shown in Figure 2.8,
adecay = 662 11 nm and aosc = 651 3 nm, where the uncertainties represent
the residuals of the fits. The values are in reasonable agreement with the SEM
tests, 688 nm, confirming the quality of the structure.

2.3 Direct-Bonded Copper atom chip

Figure 2.9: DBC atom chip layout consisting of four 1 mm-thick U, Z wires,
two 0.5 mm-thick RF wires.
Chapter 2. Present work 13

The old-generation atom chip has been used for the 10 m-period 1D magnetic
lattice experiments. On that atom chip, the designed wire structure was microma-
chined in a silver foil and glued on a Shapal-M machinable ceramic plate with a
high vacuum thermal conductive epoxy. The advantage of this chip was the abil-
ity of the wires to carry a high current (up to 40 A) without noticeable heating.
However, the thermal conductivity was limited due to the epoxy. Additionally,
the silver/ceramic is not strongly bonded which could lead to delamination of the
silver wire during machining.

Recently, we have successfully fabricated a new-generation atom chip using Direct-

Bonded Copper (DBC) subtrates (Figure 2.9). DBC is the direct joining of a thin
sheet of pure copper to a ceramic substrate of (Al2 O3 , AlN) which can provide
much stronger bonding and better thermal properties. This atom chip is designed
to overcome the limitations of the silver-foil atom chip, while the fabrication is
much simpler. At first, a mask was applied to the surface of a DBC board. By
using a special chemical solution at low concentration level, the copper was etched
away in several hours from the exposed areas which left wire traces on the AlN
subtrate.

Figure 2.10: (a) Z-wire resistance evolution after passing a current 40A (red
line) and 60A (black line) and (b) U-wire resistance evolution after passing a
current 40A (red line) and 60A (black line). The initial jump is contributed to
the wire and the barrel connector connection.

To check the fabrication quality, a UHV compatibility test and a heat dissipation
measurement were performed. For the UHV test, the chip was installed in a
separate vacuum chamber and baked at 1000 C for 4 days to pump out water
vapour and other gases. After the temperature of the chamber cooled down to
room temperature, the pressure measured inside the chamber was 1012 mbar
Chapter 2. Present work 14

which showed a good UHV compatibility of the chip. For the heat dissipation
test, constant currents were passed through the U/Z wires and the voltage behavior
was recorded to examine the evolution of the resistance. After 5 minutes running
current through the Z/U wires, the resistance of the wires increased by less than
20% which is considered not too high to damage the copper wires [38] (Figure
2.10).

With the new atom chip, we will be able to load ultracold atoms into four separated
magnetic lattices with different geometries and periods thanks to the configura-
tion of four U/Z wires and two RF wires. Together with the new sub-micron
period magnetic structures, this atom chip should be a good candidate for future
experiments.
Chapter 3

Future work

3.1 Atom-surface interactions

As the atoms are trapped very close to the chip surface, atom surface interactions
can be problematic for the trapping lifetime of the atoms due to the van der Waals
force and Johnson noise.

The attractive van der Waals force between the atoms and the chip surface can
alter the magnetic potential so that the trap minima are shifted towards the surface
and the trap frequency is lowered such that it is no longer trapping. In this case,
it is best to increase the trapping frequency of the lattice traps to compensate for
the effect of the van der Waals force. A critical trap frequency of 44 kHz, the
frequency at which the trapping potential begins to fold due to the van der Waals
force [39], was calculated for our lattice structures [4]. This value is well below the
trapping frequency, which shows that the stiffness of the lattice trap potential is
large enough to compensate the effect of the van der Waals force.

Johnson noise is caused by thermal agitation of electrons in thermal currents

flowing in the metal film. This is a source of magnetic noise which can induce
loss of magnetically trapped atoms by Majorana spin flips. The thermal spin-flip
transition rate for thin conducting films with a film thickness t  zmin  , where
p
= 2/(0 L ) is the skin depth (typically 50-100 m) at the spin-flip transition
frequency L is [40, 41]:

F m CF2 m C0 t/ zmin
2
(3.1)
15
Chapter 3. Future work 16

where C0 = [30 gs B / (8~)]2 [kB T / (6)] = 68 m s1 (T /300 K)(Au /) [40], ,

is the resistivity of the conducting film (2.22 108 m for gold), 0 is the
vacuum permeability, L = gF B BIP /~ is the Larmor frequency, gF is the Lande
g-factor, gS 2 is the electron spin g-factor and B is the Bohr magneton; CF2 m =
|hF, m + 1 |S+ | F, mi|2 and S+ is the electron-spin raising operator [40].

It is assumed that the spin-flip transition |F = 1, m = 1i |F = 1, m = 0i is

87
the main loss that occurs for Rb atoms trapped in the |F = 1, m = 1i state,
where 2
C1,1 = 1/8. For t << zmin << , the spin-flip lifetime = 1
F m , which
2
is independent of the trap bottom BIP , scales approximately as zmin /t. The
calculated thermal spin-flip lifetime for a 0.05 m thick gold reflecting film and
zmin = 0.28 m, T = 300 K is Au 180 ms. By using higher resistivity material
for the reflecting film, such as palladium (P d = 1.05 107 m), the spin-flip
lifetime can be increased to P d 870 ms [4].

3.2 Quantum tunneling in a sub-micron period

magnetic lattice

The Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian in second quantized form can be used to describe

the behaviour of ultracold bosons in a periodic lattice potential [1]:

X UX X
H = J a+
i aj + ni (ni 1) + i ni (3.2)
2 i i
hi,ji

where J is the hopping matrix element between adjacent lattice sites i and j, U is
the on-site interaction matrix element, a+
j is the annihilation operator of an atom
on the jth lattice site, ai is the creation operator of an atom on the ith lattice site
and i and ni are the energy offset and the counting operator for the number of
atoms on the ith lattice site, respectively. J and U are measured in units of the
recoil energy Er = (~)2 /2ma2 . As the ratio U/J changes, the system reaches a
critical point (U/J)c where it will undergo a quantum phase transition from the
superfluid state to the Mott insulator state [1]. It is calculated that (U/J)c 1.8
for a 1D lattice [42] and (U/J)c 17 for 2D square lattice [43] thanks to Quantum
Monte-Carlo simulations.
Chapter 3. Future work 17

The tunneling time, which scales with lattice period a and barrier height V0 , needs
to be smaller than the trapping lifetime of ultracold atoms in order for quantum
tunneling to occur [44]:

3/4 1/2
J a1/2 V0 exp[CV0 a] (3.3)

For a 5 m-period 2D lattice with trap depth V0 = 11Er , the calculated tunneling
time is 17 seconds. For an 0.7 m-period 2D lattice with trap depth V0 = 5.6Er ,
the tunneling time is 68 milliseconds. Therefore, an 0.7 m-period 2D lattice was
chosen for our quantum tunneling experiments.

3.3 General plan

The new sub-micron period lattice film glued on the new DBC atom chip has
recently been mounted in the UHV chamber. In the next step, the optical ex-
periment setup will be upgraded to match the new atom chip. Especially, a new
imaging system which images the atom cloud from below the chip will be used
for experiments with the 2D magnetic lattices. Furthermore, the resolution of the
current imaging system will be upgraded. Background magnetic fields and mag-
netic field noise will need to be reduced as much as possible, preferably to < 1 mG,
to be able to perform quantum tunneling experiments. Possibly, a plan for a new
generation atom chip which is dedicated for honeycomb magnetic lattice experi-
ments will be developed and implemented. If successful, it would be a promising
candidate to study graphene-like states and associated quantum phase transitions
of these systems.

3.4 Significance of the research

The generation of new sub-micron period lattices will be implemented based on

magnetic microstructures patterned on an atom chip. Complex lattices with pe-
riods down to 0.7 m and 2D complex geometries (triangular and square) should
open the way for a range of condensed matter simulation experiments including the
superfluid to Mott insulator transition in a magnetic lattice. This would represent
the first quantum tunneling experiments in a magnetic lattice. Additionally,these
Chapter 3. Future work 18

experiments should provide much insight on the interaction between ultracold

atoms and surfaces. Specifically, it will show how close the trapped atoms can be
to the surface under the limitations of the van der Waals force and Johnson noise.
Such information would be useful for quantum coherence experiments in periodic
magnetic lattices.
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