Optimal control of the transport of Bose-Einstein condensates with atom chips

Abstract

Using Optimal Control Theory (OCT), we design fast ramps for the controlled transport of Bose-Einstein condensates with atom chips' magnetic traps. These ramps are engineered in the context of precision atom interferometry experiments and support transport over large distances, typically of the order of 1 mm, i.e. about 1,000 times the size of the atomic clouds, yet with durations not exceeding 200 ms. We show that with such transport durations of the order of the trap period, one can recover the ground state of the final trap at the end of the transport. The performance of the OCT procedure is compared to that of a Shortcut-To-Adiabaticity (STA) protocol and the respective advantages / disadvantages of the OCT treatment over the STA one are discussed.