Stable Trap for Neutral Atoms with a Superconducting Disc

A stable magnetic quadrupole trap for neutral atoms on a superconducting Nb thin-film disc is demonstrated. The quadrupole field is composed of the magnetic field that is generated by vortices on the disc introduced by field cooling of the disc, and a uniform external field perpendicular to the disc surface. The dynamics and stability of the trap are studied. The trap is stable when all trapping processes are performed above the dendritic instability temperature $T_a$. When the field intensity is changed below this temperature, the quadrupole field collapses, and the trap disappears. The initial vortex density decreases even when the external field is changed at a temperature $T>T_a$. However, the vortex density is stabilized at an equilibrium density, whereas at $T