Josephson junction arrays with Bose-Einstein condensates

Year: 2001

Authors: Cataliotti F. S., Burger S., Fort C., Maddaloni P., Minardi F., Trombettoni A., Smerzi A., Inguscio M.

Autors Affiliation: European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS) and Istituto Nationale per la Fisica della Materia (INFM), L.go E. Fermi 2, I-50125 Firenze, Italy;
Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Firenze, L.go E. Fermi 2, I-50125 Firenze, Italy;
Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Padova, via F. Marzolo 8, I-35131 Padova, Italy;
International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), via Beirut 2/4, I-34014 Trieste, Italy

Abstract: We report on the direct observation of an oscillating atomic current in a one-dimensional array of Josephson junctions realized with an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate. The array is created by a laser standing wave, with the condensates trapped in the valleys of the periodic potential and weakly coupled by the interwell barriers. The coherence of multiple tunneling between adjacent welts is continuously probed by atomic interference. The square of the small-amplitude oscillation frequency is proportional to the microscopic tunneling rate of each condensate through the barriers and provides a direct measurement of the Josephson critical current as a function of the intermediate barrier heights. Our superfluid array may allow investigation of phenomena so far inaccessible to superconducting Josephson junctions and lays a bridge between the condensate dynamics and the physics of discrete nonlinear media.

Journal/Review: SCIENCE

Volume: 293 (5531)      Pages from: 843  to: 846

KeyWords: Arrays; Lasers; Microscopic examination; Oscillations; Superconducting materials, Oscillating atomic current, Josephson junction devices, condensate; current, article; conductor; liquid; magnetism; mathematical parameters; molecular dynamics; nonlinear system; oscillation; priority journal; quantum theory
DOI: 10.1126/science.1062612

Citations: 756
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