Quantum Limits on Matter-Wave Guiding

Explore the quantum limits of matter-wave guiding in this 48-minute colloquium lecture delivered by Wolf von Klitzing from the Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser at the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas. Delve into the emerging field of atomtronics, which manipulates atoms in complex potentials similar to how electrons behave in electronic circuits, and discover how matter-waves composed of atoms serve as promising candidates for creating extremely sensitive sensors for rotation and acceleration measurements. Learn about the critical role of long interaction times in achieving high sensitivities in matter-wave interferometry and understand why current experimental setups require apparatus up to a hundred meters tall or microgravity conditions in space. Examine innovative solutions for canceling gravitational acceleration through time-changeable traps and waveguides, and discover how researchers have demonstrated near-perfect smooth and controllable matter-wave guides by transporting Bose-Einstein condensates over macroscopic distances without observable heating or decoherence. Investigate the experimental work involving a neutral-atom accelerator ring that brings BECs to speeds up to 40 times their sound velocity while preserving internal coherence during 15-centimeter transport in magnetic matter-wave guides. Analyze the fundamental question of waveguide imperfection tolerance and explore experimental findings on obstacle strength thresholds that disturb traveling matter-waves, culminating in the presentation of a simple fundamental quantum limit that depends solely on the transverse confinement of atoms in TAAP waveguides.