Adaptable Fresnel zone plates for atomtronics

Matter-wave interferometry with neutral atoms offers precision measurement for a wide range of applications such as inertial navigation and quantum sensing. When confined in suitable waveguides, the time available for atomic interrogation increases dramatically, enabling high sensitivity. We have designed and optically characterised several four-level Fresnel zone plates (FZPs) which are designed to be highly efficient (>80%) with residual intensity ripple <1%. Most importantly, the FZP topology allows direct mapping of localised light variations at the FZP to the waveguide focal plane. We show that phase and amplitude shaped light from a ‘low’-resolution 1 megapixel spatial light modulator can dynamically complement static 1-100 megapixel FZPs to allow the formation, from a single zone plate, of a wide range of optical potentials including bright rings, double rings and ring lattices. Real-time ‘intuitive’ error correction of circular waveguides with diameters up to 4mm and waists down to 2.5um is possible, with room for future scaling.