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  • Open Access

Realizing an atomic quantum interference device in a rotating-box potential

Kaspar Görg1, Ludwig Mathey1,2,*, and Vijay Pal Singh3,†

  • *Contact author: ludwig.mathey@uni-hamburg.de
  • †Contact author: vijay.singh@tii.ae
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Phys. Rev. Research 7, 043340 – Published 29 December, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/xpxq-g8ds

Abstract

Atomtronic devices are matter-wave circuits designed to emulate the functional behavior of their electronic counterparts. Motivated by superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs), atomic quantum interference devices (AQUIDs) have been developed using Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) confined in toroidal geometries. Here, we propose and numerically investigate an alternative implementation of an AQUID based on a BEC confined in a rotating-box potential. A ringlike topology is established by introducing a central depletion region via a repulsive potential barrier. We observe the hallmark AQUID feature—quantized phase winding that increases in discrete steps with angular velocity. Centrifugal effects induced by rotation degrade phase coherence and impair AQUID performance, which we mitigate by applying a counteracting harmonic confinement. Phase slips are found to be mediated by a vortex propagating from the central depletion zone to the edge of the condensate. To characterize the voltage response, we induce a bias current by translating the box along its long axis while keeping the central barrier fixed. This generates a density imbalance between the two reservoirs, exhibiting a periodic dependence on angular velocity—analogous to the voltage-flux relation in electronic SQUIDs. Our results demonstrate that rotating-box geometries provide a viable and flexible platform for realizing AQUIDs with controllable dynamics and well-defined response characteristics.

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Phys. Rev. Research 7, 043340– Published 29 December, 2025
  • Received 26 August 2025
  • Accepted 14 November 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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