| Atom chip devices confine atoms by using the superposition of magnetic fields due to a current along with a uniform external field, generating a linear magnetic potential well along the line of the current. These devices are used in atomic physics experiments due to their ability to produce extremely tight confinements. In particular, the high phase-space densities made available by tight confinements allow rapid creation of Bose-Einstein condensates, while the strength of the transverse confinement compared to the weak axial confinement allows 1-dimensional states of matter to be created and studied. To achieve such tight confinements, atoms must be trapped very close to the chip surface. However, detection of atoms is difficult at small separations from the surface. Additionally, irregularities in the current-carrying wires produce corrugations in the trapping potential, causing fragmentation of trapped atoms, as well as undesired excitations out of the ground state. In this thesis, the integration of optical waveguides on the surface of atom chips is proposed, in order to address the previously-mentioned problems with atom confinement near the chip surface. (Abstract shortened by UMI.). |
