Atomic spin decoherence near conducting and superconducting films

S. Scheel; P. K. Rekdal; P. L. Knight; E. A. Hinds

doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.72.042901

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Atomic spin decoherence near conducting and superconducting films

S. Scheel, P. K. Rekdal, P. L. Knight, E. A. Hinds

DOI 10.1103/PhysRevA.72.042901 · Physical Review A

T1

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Abstract

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. Vuletić [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.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

Formula	Reported Tc (K)	Pressure (GPa)	Type
Nb Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula.	9.3	Pressure not reported	unknown
Nb Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula.	8.3	Pressure not reported	unknown