Time-dependent Optical Lattices Research Articles

Adiabaticity when raising a uniform three-dimensional optical lattice in a bimodal Bose-Einstein condensate

Using the time-dependent Bogoliubov approach, we study adiabaticity for a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate in a three-dimensional time-dependent optical lattice with unit filling, in the superfluid and weakly interacting regime. We show that raising the lattice potential height can couple the ground state of the Bogoliubov Hamiltonian to excited states with two quasiparticles of opposite quasimomenta. In the symmetric case for interactions and density in the two components these represent sound waves where the two components oscillate out of phase. We find an analytic expression for the adiabatic time, its dependence on the fraction of atoms in each component, and its scaling with the system size.

Oscillations in a parametrically excited Bose-Einstein condensate in combined harmonic and optical lattice trap

Abstract In this work, we study parametric excitations in an elongated cigar-shaped BEC in a combined harmonic trap and a time dependent optical lattice by using numerical techniques. We show that there exists a relative competition between the harmonic trap which tries to spatially localize the BEC and the time varying optical lattice which tries to delocalize the BEC. This competition gives rise to parametric excitations (oscillations of the BEC width). Regular oscillations disappear when one of the competing factors, i.e. the strength of harmonic trap or the strength of optical lattice, dominates. Parametric instabilities (chaotic dynamics) arise for large variations in the strength of the optical lattice.

Dynamical control of matter-wave splitting using time-dependent optical lattices

We report on measurements of splitting Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) by using a time-dependent optical lattice potential. First, we demonstrate the division of a BEC into a set of equally populated components by means of time dependent control of Landau-Zener tunneling in a vertical lattice potential. Next, we apply time dependent optical Bragg mirrors to a BEC oscillating in a harmonic trap. We demonstrate high-order Bragg reflection of the condensate due to multi-photon Raman transitions, where the depth of the optical lattice potential allows for a choice of the order of the transition. Finally, a combination of multiple Bragg reflections and Landau-Zener tunneling allows for the generation of macroscopic arrays of condensates with potential applications in atom optics and atom interferometry.

Atomic wave packet dynamics in finite time-dependent optical lattices

Atomic wave packets in optical lattices which are both spatially finite and time dependent exhibit many striking similarities with light pulses in photonic crystals. We analytically characterize the transmission properties of such a potential geometry for an ideal gas in terms of a position-dependent band structure. In particular, we find that at specific energies, wave packets at the centre of the finite lattice may be enclosed by pairs of band gaps. These act as mirrors between which the atomic wave packet is reflected, thereby effectively yielding a matter wave cavity. We show that long trapping times may be obtained in such a resonator and investigate the collapse and revival dynamics of the atomic wave packet by numerical evaluation of the Schrödinger equation.

Artificial staggered magnetic field for ultracold atoms in optical lattices

A time-dependent optical lattice with staggered particle current in the tight-binding regime was considered that can be described by a time-independent effective lattice model with an artificial staggered magnetic field. The low-energy description of a single-component fermion in this lattice at half-filling is provided by two copies of ideal two-dimensional massless Dirac fermions. The Dirac cones are generally anisotropic and can be tuned by the external staggered flux $\ensuremath{\phi}$. For bosons, the staggered flux modifies the single-particle spectrum such that in the weak coupling limit, depending on the flux $\ensuremath{\phi}$, distinct superfluid phases are realized. Their properties are discussed, the nature of the phase transitions between them is established, and Bogoliubov theory is used to determine their excitation spectra. Then the generalized superfluid--Mott-insulator transition is studied in the presence of the staggered flux and the complete phase diagram is established. Finally, the momentum distribution of the distinct superfluid phases is obtained, which provides a clear experimental signature of each phase in ballistic expansion experiments.

Subdiffractive solitons of Bose-Einstein condensates in time-dependent optical lattices

We study Bose-Einstein condensates trapped in periodically shaken shallow optical lattices, and demonstrate the existence of subdiffractive solitons, analogous to those encountered in periodically blinking lattices [K. Staliunas, R. Herrero, and G. J. de Valcarcel, Phys. Rev. E 73, 065603(R) (2006)]. We also show that solitons in periodically shaken optical lattices radiate weakly into the near-to-resonance modes. For typical experimental conditions, however, the soliton lifetime turns out to be much longer than the typical lifetime of the condensate, therefore the subdiffractive solitons are expected to be observable in periodically shaken shallow optical lattices.

Compression and localization of an atomic cloud in a time dependent optical lattice

We analyze a method of compressing a cloud of cold atoms by dynamic control of a far off-resonance optical lattice. We show that by reducing the lattice spacing either continuously or in discrete steps while cooling the atoms with optical molasses large compression factors can be achieved. Particle motion in the time-dependent lattice is studied numerically using a three-dimensional semiclassical model. Two experimentally realistic models are analyzed. In the first we continuously vary the lattice beam angles to compress atoms initially in a Gaussian distributed cloud with standard deviation of 250 µm into a single site of a two-dimensional lattice of area A ∼ 35 × 35λ2, with λ the wavelength of the lattice beams. This results in an optical depth for an on-resonant probe beam >80 which is an increase by a factor of about 1800 compared to the uncompressed cloud. In the second approach we use a discrete set of lattice beam angles to decrease the spatial scale of the cloud by a factor of 500, and localize a few atoms to a single lattice site with an area A ≲ λ2.

Ultracold Bose gases in time-dependent one-dimensional superlattices: Response and quasimomentum structure

The response of ultracold atomic Bose gases in time-dependent optical lattices is discussed based on direct simulations of the time-evolution of the many-body state in the framework of the Bose-Hubbard model. We focus on small-amplitude modulations of the lattice potential as implemented in several recent experiments and study different observables in the region of the first resonance in the Mott-insulator phase. In addition to the energy transfer we investigate the quasimomentum structure of the system which is accessible via the matter-wave interference pattern after a prompt release. We identify characteristic correlations between the excitation frequency and the quasimomentum distribution and study their structure in the presence of a superlattice potential.