Resonant Coupling of a Bose-Einstein Condensate to a Micromechanical Oscillator

David Hunger, Stephan Camerer, Theodor W. Hänsch, Daniel König, Jörg P. Kotthaus, Jakob Reichel, Philipp Treutlein
2010 Physical Review Letters  
We report experiments in which the vibrations of a micromechanical oscillator are coupled to the motion of Bose-condensed atoms in a trap. The interaction relies on surface forces experienced by the atoms at about one micrometer distance from the mechanical structure. We observe resonant coupling to several well-resolved mechanical modes of the condensate. Coupling via surface forces does not require magnets, electrodes, or mirrors on the oscillator and could thus be employed to couple atoms to
more » ... molecular-scale oscillators such as carbon nanotubes.
doi:10.1103/physrevlett.104.143002 pmid:20481938 fatcat:tlv4xbkwfzal7cajl4rl64fgcq