2005/01/25 by Stefan Scheel, Per-Kristian Rekdal, Per Kristian Rekdal +4 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Atom (system on chip) #Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Condensed matter physics #Knight shift #Physics #Quantum #Quantum and electron transport phenomena #Quantum decoherence #Quantum mechanics #Relaxation (psychology) #Spin (aerodynamics) #Superconductivity #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreva.72.042901
4 pages, 3 figures, typeset using RevTeX
arxiv created 2005/01/25 · openalex publication_date 2005/10/11 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We derive scaling laws for the spin decoherence of neutral atoms trapped near conducting and superconducting plane surfaces. A result for thin films sheds light on the measurement of Y. J. Lin, I. Teper, C. Chin, and V. Vuleti\ifmmode \acutec\else 'c\fi [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 050404 (2004)]. Our calculation is based on a quantum-theoretical treatment of electromagnetic radiation near metallic bodies [P. K. Rekdal, S. Scheel, P. L. Knight, and E. A. Hinds, Phys. Rev. A 70, 013811 (2004)]. We show that there is a critical atom-surface distance that maximizes the spin relaxation rate and we show how this depends on the skin depth and thickness of the metal surface. In the light of this impedance-matching effect we discuss the spin relaxation to be expected above a thin superconducting niobium layer.