Optimizing quantum reflection of Bose–Einstein condensates with angle of incidence

Abstract We investigated the effect of the angle of incidence on the quantum reflection of Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) from regions with rapid potential variations. The reflection process was examined for both isotropic and anisotropic 2D disk-shaped BECs. In both cases, the angle of incidence was found to play a crucial role during reflection, inducing non-uniform atom-surface interactions and thus manipulating severe disruptions on the atomic cloud in the low incident velocity regime. In this scenario, the angle of incidence minimizes or even eliminates disruptions or fragmentation of the atomic cloud, especially for incidence angles far from the normal incidence direction. Consequently, anomalous reflectivity or saturation effects, which have been challenging in previous studies, can be effectively addressed and controlled. These findings provide new insights into optimizing the quantum reflection of BECs from a solid surface, particularly regarding the enhancement of the reflection probability of BECs from a planar silicon surface, which, since their first experiments, have not been maximized due to saturation effects.