Search results for "Ultracold atom"
showing 10 items of 42 documents
Work fluctuations in bosonic Josephson junctions
2016
We calculate the first two moments and full probability distribution of the work performed on a system of bosonic particles in a two-mode Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian when the self-interaction term is varied instantaneously or with a finite-time ramp. In the instantaneous case, we show how the irreversible work scales differently depending on whether the system is driven to the Josephson or Fock regime of the bosonic Josephson junction. In the finite-time case, we use optimal control techniques to substantially decrease the irreversible work to negligible values. Our analysis can be implemented in present-day experiments with ultracold atoms and we show how to relate the work statistics to that…
Polar bosons in one-dimensional disordered optical lattices
2013
We analyze the effects of disorder and quasi-disorder on the ground-state properties of ultra-cold polar bosons in optical lattices. We show that the interplay between disorder and inter-site interactions leads to rich phase diagrams. A uniform disorder leads to a Haldane-insulator phase with finite parity order, whereas the density-wave phase becomes a Bose-glass at very weak disorder. For quasi-disorder, the Haldane insulator connects with a gapped generalized incommesurate density wave without an intermediate critical region.
Probing mechanical quantum coherence with an ultracold-atom meter
2011
We propose a scheme to probe quantum coherence in the state of a nano-cantilever based on its magnetic coupling (mediated by a magnetic tip) with a spinor Bose Einstein condensate (BEC). By mapping the BEC into a rotor, its coupling with the cantilever results in a gyroscopic motion whose properties depend on the state of the cantilever: the dynamics of one of the components of the rotor angular momentum turns out to be strictly related to the presence of quantum coherence in the state of the cantilever. We also suggest a detection scheme relying on Faraday rotation, which produces only a very small back-action on the BEC and it is thus suitable for a continuous detection of the cantilever'…
Topological Devil's staircase in atomic two-leg ladders
2019
Abstract We show that a hierarchy of topological phases in one dimension—a topological Devil’s staircase—can emerge at fractional filling fractions in interacting systems, whose single-particle band structure describes a topological or a crystalline topological insulator. Focusing on a specific example in the BDI class, we present a field-theoretical argument based on bosonization that indicates how the system, as a function of the filling fraction, hosts a series of density waves. Subsequently, based on a numerical investigation of the low-lying energy spectrum, Wilczek–Zee phases, and entanglement spectra, we show that they are symmetry protected topological phases. In sharp contrast to t…
Direct observation of second-order atom tunnelling
2007
Tunnelling of material particles through a classically impenetrable barrier constitutes one of the hallmark effects of quantum physics. When interactions between the particles compete with their mobility through a tunnel junction, intriguing novel dynamical behaviour can arise where particles do not tunnel independently. In single-electron or Bloch transistors, for example, the tunnelling of an electron or Cooper pair can be enabled or suppressed by the presence of a second charge carrier due to Coulomb blockade. Here we report on the first direct and time-resolved observation of correlated tunnelling of two interacting atoms through a barrier in a double well potential. We show that for we…
A Scanning Electron Microscope for Ultracold Atoms
2006
We propose a new technique for the detection of single atoms in ultracold quantum gases. The technique is based on scanning electron microscopy and employs the electron impact ionization of trapped atoms with a focussed electron probe. Subsequent detection of the resulting ions allows for the reconstruction of the atoms position. This technique is expected to achieve a much better spatial resolution compared to any optical detection method. In combination with the sensitivity to single atoms, it makes new in situ measurements of atomic correlations possible. The detection principle is also well suited for the addressing of individual sites in optical lattices.
Time-resolved Observation and Control of Superexchange Interactions with Ultracold Atoms in Optical Lattices
2007
Quantum mechanical superexchange interactions form the basis of quantum magnetism in strongly correlated electronic media. We report on the direct measurement of superexchange interactions with ultracold atoms in optical lattices. After preparing a spin-mixture of ultracold atoms in an antiferromagnetically ordered state, we measure a coherent superexchange-mediated spin dynamics with coupling energies from 5 Hz up to 1 kHz. By dynamically modifying the potential bias between neighboring lattice sites, the magnitude and sign of the superexchange interaction can be controlled, thus allowing the system to be switched between antiferromagnetic or ferromagnetic spin interactions. We compare our…
Ultracold atoms in optical lattices
2007
This article focuses on the characteristics and properties ultracold atoms in optical lattices.
Experiments on the dynamics of the Bose–Einstein condensate at finite temperatures
2009
This paper presents the results of our recent experiments on the finite-temperature Bose?Einstein condensate of 87Rb atoms in a magnetic trap, and is devoted to the study of the hydrodynamic properties and dynamics of an ultra-cold atomic gas near the critical temperature. Measurements of the aspect ratio of an expanding atomic cloud allow for verification of the condensate models and study of the interaction between condensed and non-condensed fractions of a finite-temperature sample.
Probing number squeezing of ultracold atoms across the superfluid-Mott insulator transition.
2005
The evolution of on-site number fluctuations of ultracold atoms in optical lattices is experimentally investigated by monitoring the suppression of spin-changing collisions across the superfluid-Mott insulator transition. For low atom numbers, corresponding to an average filling factor close to unity, large on-site number fluctuations are necessary for spin-changing collisions to occur. The continuous suppression of spin-changing collisions is thus a direct evidence for the emergence of number-squeezed states. In the Mott insulator regime, we find that spin-changing collisions are suppressed until a threshold atom number, consistent with the number where a Mott plateau with doubly-occupied …