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Transport of Atoms in a Quantum Conveyor Belt

Published

Author(s)

A Browaeys, H H ffnert, C R. McKenzie, S L. Rolston, Kristian Helmerson, William D. Phillips

Abstract

We have performed experiments using a 3D-Bose-Einstein condensate of sodium atoms in a 1D optical lattice to explore some unusual properties of band-structure. In particular, we investigate the loading of a condensate into a moving lattice and find non-intuitive behavior. We also revisit the behavior of atoms, prepared in a single quasimomentum state, in an accelerating lattice. We generalize this study to a cloud whose atoms have a large quasimomentum spread, and show that the cloud behaves differently from atoms in a single Bloch state. Finally, we compare our findings with recent experiments performed with fermions in an optical lattice.
Citation
Physical Review A (Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics)

Keywords

Bloch-state, Bose-Einstein condensates, lattice, quasimomentum

Citation

Browaeys, A. , H ffnert, H. , McKenzie, C. , Rolston, S. , Helmerson, K. and Phillips, W. (2008), Transport of Atoms in a Quantum Conveyor Belt, Physical Review A (Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics) (Accessed December 10, 2024)

Issues

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Created October 16, 2008