Theoretical studies of coherent atom transport have as yet mainly been restricted to one-dimensional model systems with harmonic trapping potentials. Here we investigate this important phenomenon—a prerequisite for a variety of quantum-technology applications based on cold neutral atoms—under much more complex physical circumstances. More specifically yet, we study fast atomic transport in a moving double-well optical lattice, whose three-dimensional (anharmonic) potential is nonseparable in the $x$-$y$ plane. We first propose specific configurations of acousto-optic modulators that give rise to the moving-lattice effect in an arbitrary direction in this plane. We then determine moving-lattice trajectories that enable single-atom transport using two classes of quantum-control methods: shortcuts to adiabaticity (STA), here utilized in the form of inverse engineering based on a quadratic-in-momentum dynamical invariant of Lewis-Riesenfeld type, and their recently proposed modification termed enhanced STA (eSTA). Subsequently, we quantify the resulting single-atom dynamics by numerically solving the relevant time-dependent Schrödinger equations and compare the efficiency of STA- and eSTA-based transport by evaluating the respective fidelities. We show that—except for the regime of shallow lattices—the eSTA method consistently outperforms its STA counterpart. This study has direct implications for neutral-atom quantum computing based on collisional entangling two-qubit gates and quantum sensing of constant homogeneous forces via guided-atom interferometry.

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• Coherent control
• Cold gases in optical lattices
• Quantum gates
• Quantum information with atoms & light
• Quantum sensing
• Acoustic techniques
• Optical lattices & traps
• Optical tweezers