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arXiv · 0711.3270

Observing Zitterbewegung in Ultracold Atoms

J. Y. Vaishnav·Charles W. Clark
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Abstract

We propose an optical lattice scheme which would permit the experimental observation of Zitterbewegung (ZB) with ultracold, neutral atoms. A four-level "tripod" variant of the usual setup for stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) has been proposed for generating non-Abelian gauge fields [1]. Dirac-like Hamiltonians, which exhibit ZB, are simple examples of such non-Abelian gauge fields; we show how a variety of them can arise, and how ZB can be observed, in a tripod system. We predict that the ZB should occur at experimentally accessible frequencies and amplitudes.

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J. Y. Vaishnav, Charles W. Clark. 2007-12-21. Observing Zitterbewegung in Ultracold Atoms. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.100.153002

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