The atomic superfluid quantum interference device with tunable Josephson junctions

Abstract

The atomic superfluid quantum interference device (ASQUID) with tunable Josephson junctions is theoretically investigated. ASQUID is a device that can be used for the detection of rotation. In this work we establish an analytical theory for the ASQUID using the tunneling Hamiltonian method and find two physical quantities that can be used for the rotation sensing. The first one is the critical population bias, which characterizes the transition between the self-trapping and the Josephson oscillation regimes and demonstrates a periodic modulation behavior due to the rotation of the system. We discuss the variation of critical population bias when the tunneling strengths of the junctions are tuned in different values, and find that the symmetric junctions are better choice than the asymmetric ones in terms of rotation sensing. Furthermore, how the initial phase difference between the two condensates affects the measurement of rotation is also discussed. Finally, we investigate the case of time-dependent junctions and find there is another physical quantity, named critical time, that can be used to detect the rotation.