Abstract
In periodic quantum systems which are both homogeneously tilted and driven, the interplay between drive and Bloch oscillations controls transport dynamics. Using a quantum gas in a modulated optical lattice, we show experimentally that inhomogeneity of the applied force leads to a rich new variety of dynamical behaviors controlled by the drive phase, from self-parametrically-modulated Bloch epicycles to adaptive driving of transport against a force gradient to modulation-enhanced monopole modes. Matching experimental observations to fit-parameter-free numerical predictions of time-dependent band theory, we show that these phenomena can be quantitatively understood as manifestations of an underlying inhomogeneity-induced phase space structure, in which topological classification of stroboscopic Poincar\'e orbits controls the transport dynamics.
Highlights
In periodic quantum systems which are both homogeneously tilted and driven, the interplay between drive and Bloch oscillations controls transport dynamics
Periodic quantum systems exhibit an oscillatory response to static forces [1,2]
Any applied modulation can interact with Bloch oscillations, resulting in phenomena ranging from super-Bloch dynamics [3] to high-harmonic generation [4]
Summary
In periodic quantum systems which are both homogeneously tilted and driven, the interplay between drive and Bloch oscillations controls transport dynamics. In this Rapid Communication, we experimentally explore the consequences of breaking the position-independent character of Bloch oscillations with an inhomogeneous field, which qualitatively transforms the phase-space structure of the system and generates an array of transport phenomena.
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