Atomic-Density Based Optimization of Arbitrary 2 D Optical Potentials : Applications in vortex dynamics and phase imprinting of supercurrents

Advances in the control over novel trapping potentials has been a driving factor behind the development of the cold atoms field. As such, the direct imaging of a digital micromirror device (DMD) onto a plane has become a popular technique which has expanded the range of dynamic potentials available for 2D cold atom experiments [1]. One of the drawbacks of this technique is that direct imaging does not allow for correction of aberrations in the projecting optical system, and nonuniformity and imperfections in the illumination field cause imperfection in the projected potential. To this end, we have developed a density-based feedforward optimization technique which uses the grayscaling and dynamic capabilities of the DMD to correct imperfections in the projected trapping potential. This technique can be used to correct for non-uniformity in the trapping potential (See Fig. 1), with unprecendented control over the trapping landscape.