Single vortex fluctuations in a superconducting chip as generating dephasing and spin flips in cold atom traps

Abstract: 

We study trapping of a cold atom by a single vortex line in an extreme type-II superconducting chip, allowing for pinning and friction. We evaluate the atom's spin flip rate and its dephasing due to the vortex fluctuations in equilibrium and find that they decay rapidly when the distance to the vortex exceeds the magnetic penetration length. We find that there are special spin orientations, depending on the spin location relative to the vortex, at which spin dephasing is considerably reduced while perpendicular directions have a reduced spin flip rate.