Quantum machine using cold atoms

Abstract

For a machine to be useful in practice, it preferably has to meet two requirements: namely, (i) to be able to perform work under a load and (ii) its operational regime should ideally not depend on the time at which the machine is switched-on. We devise a minimal setup, consisting of two atoms only, for an ac-driven quantum motor which fulfills both these conditions. Explicitly, the motor consists of two different interacting atoms placed into a ring-shaped periodic optical potential - an optical "bracelet," - resulting from the interference of two counter-propagating Laguerre-Gauss laser beams. This bracelet is additionally threaded by a pulsating magnetic flux. While the first atom plays a role of a quantum "carrier," the second serves as a quantum "starter," which sets off the "carrier" into a steady rotational motion. For fixed zero-momentum initial conditions the asymptotic carrier velocity saturates to a unique, nonzero value which becomes increasingly independent on the starting time with increasing "bracelet"-size. We identify the quantum mechanisms of rectification and demonstrate that our quantum motor is able to perform useful work. Copyright © 2010 American Scientific Publishers.