Adsorbate electric fields on a cryogenic atom chip

We investigate the behavior of electric fields originating from adsorbates deposited on a cryogenic atom chip as it is cooled from room temperature to cryogenic temperature. Using Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency, we measure the field strength versus distance from a 1 mm square of yt...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Chan, K. S., Dumke, Rainer Helmut, Siercke, M., Hufnagel, C.
Other Authors: School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/101855
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/18799
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
Description
Summary:We investigate the behavior of electric fields originating from adsorbates deposited on a cryogenic atom chip as it is cooled from room temperature to cryogenic temperature. Using Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency, we measure the field strength versus distance from a 1 mm square of yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) patterned onto a yttria stabilized zirconia chip substrate. We find a localized and stable dipole field at room temperature and attribute it to a saturated layer of chemically adsorbed rubidium atoms on the YBCO. As the chip is cooled towards 83 K we observe a change in sign of the electric field as well as a transition from a localized to a delocalized dipole density. We relate these changes to the onset of physisorption on the chip surface when the van der Waals attraction overcomes the thermal desorption mechanisms. Our findings suggest that through careful selection of substrate materials, it may be possible to reduce the electric fields caused by atomic adsorption on chips, opening up experiments to controlled Rydberg-surface coupling schemes.