Cold-Atom Buoy: A Differential Magnetic Sensing Technique in Cold Quadrupole Traps

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Kurkó, Árpád, Nagy, Dávid, Simon, Alexandra, Clark, Thomas W., Dombi, András, Varga, Dániel, Williams, Francis B., Fortágh, József, Domokos, Peter, Vukics, András
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Kurkó, Árpád
Nagy, Dávid
Simon, Alexandra
Clark, Thomas W.
Dombi, András
Varga, Dániel
Williams, Francis B.
Fortágh, József
Domokos, Peter
Vukics, András
author_facet Kurkó, Árpád
Nagy, Dávid
Simon, Alexandra
Clark, Thomas W.
Dombi, András
Varga, Dániel
Williams, Francis B.
Fortágh, József
Domokos, Peter
Vukics, András
contents We present a differential technique for vector magnetic sensing based on a cold-atom cloud in a magnetic quadrupole trap. An external homogeneous magnetic field displaces the trap center in a direction and magnitude proportional to the field. By reversing the quadrupole polarity between experimental shots and comparing the resulting cloud positions, we extract a differential displacement signal that is free from common-mode effects such as gravity and weak magnetic-field inhomogeneities. The signal is directionally proportional to the external field and requires only absorption imaging, without spectroscopic interrogation. Assuming micron-scale position resolution, the technique enables field resolution at the milli-Gauss level. It offers a practical tool for field compensation in magnetically sensitive experimental stages, bridging operational regimes from Earth-level fields to atomic magnetometry. A straightforward extension to full three-dimensional sensing is possible with only a minimal addition to standard cold-atom infrastructure.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_08797
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Cold-Atom Buoy: A Differential Magnetic Sensing Technique in Cold Quadrupole Traps
Kurkó, Árpád
Nagy, Dávid
Simon, Alexandra
Clark, Thomas W.
Dombi, András
Varga, Dániel
Williams, Francis B.
Fortágh, József
Domokos, Peter
Vukics, András
Quantum Physics
Quantum Gases
Atomic Physics
We present a differential technique for vector magnetic sensing based on a cold-atom cloud in a magnetic quadrupole trap. An external homogeneous magnetic field displaces the trap center in a direction and magnitude proportional to the field. By reversing the quadrupole polarity between experimental shots and comparing the resulting cloud positions, we extract a differential displacement signal that is free from common-mode effects such as gravity and weak magnetic-field inhomogeneities. The signal is directionally proportional to the external field and requires only absorption imaging, without spectroscopic interrogation. Assuming micron-scale position resolution, the technique enables field resolution at the milli-Gauss level. It offers a practical tool for field compensation in magnetically sensitive experimental stages, bridging operational regimes from Earth-level fields to atomic magnetometry. A straightforward extension to full three-dimensional sensing is possible with only a minimal addition to standard cold-atom infrastructure.
title Cold-Atom Buoy: A Differential Magnetic Sensing Technique in Cold Quadrupole Traps
topic Quantum Physics
Quantum Gases
Atomic Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.08797