arXiv subjects

J. V. Porto

Publications and source records attributed to J. V. Porto.

63 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2007

Sublattice addressing and spin-dependent motion of atoms in a double-well lattice

We load atoms into every site of an optical lattice and selectively spin flip atoms in a sublattice consisting of every other site. These selected atoms are separated from their unselected neighbors by less than an optical wavelength. We also show spin-dependent transport, where atomic wave packets are coherently separated into adjacent sites according to their internal state. These tools should be useful for quantum information processing and quantum simulation of lattice models with neutral atoms.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2007

The Mott insulator transition in two dimensions

Cold atoms confined in periodic potentials are remarkably versatile quantum systems for implementing simple models prevalent in condensed matter theory. In the current experiment, we realize the 2D Bose-Hubbard model by loading a Bose-Einstein condensate into an optical lattice, and we study the resulting Mott insulating state (a phase of matter in which atoms are localized on specific lattice sites). We measure momentum distributions which agree quantitatively with theory (no adjustable parameters). We also study correlations in atom shot nose and observe a pronounced dependence on the lattice depth, this dependence indicates geometric effects to first order and suggests deviations due to higher order corrections.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2006

Accumulation and thermalization of cold atoms in a finite-depth magnetic trap

We experimentally and theoretically study the continuous accumulation of cold atoms from a magneto-optical trap (MOT) into a finite depth trap, consisting in a magnetic quadrupole trap dressed by a radiofrequency (RF) field. Chromium atoms (52 isotope) in a MOT are continuously optically pumped by the MOT lasers to metastable dark states. In presence of a RF field, the temperature of the metastable atoms that remain magnetically trapped can be as low as 25 microK, with a density of 10^17 atoms.m-3, resulting in an increase of the phase-space density, still limited to 7.10^-6 by inelastic collisions. To investigate the thermalization issues in the truncated trap, we measure the free evaporation rate in the RF-truncated magnetic trap, and deduce the average elastic cross section for atoms in the 5D4 metastable states, equal to 7.0 10^-16m2.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2006

The role of interactions, tunneling and harmonic confinement on the adiabatic loading of bosons in an optical lattice

We calculate entropy-temperature curves for interacting bosons in unit filled optical lattices for both homogeneous and harmonically trapped situations, and use them to understand how adiabatic changes in the lattice depth affect the temperature of the system. In a translationally invariant lattice, the zero tunneling limit facilitates a rather detailed analytic description. Unlike the non-interacting bosonic system which is always cooled upon adiabatic loading for low enough initial temperature, the change in the excitation spectrum induced by interactions can lead to heating. Finite tunneling helps to reduce this heating. Finally, we study the spatially inhomogeneous system confined in a parabolic potential and show that the presence of the trap can significantly reduce the final available temperature, due to the non-vanishing superfluid component at the edge of the cloud which is present in trapped systems.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2006

A lattice of double wells for manipulating pairs of cold atoms

We describe the design and implementation of a 2D optical lattice of double wells suitable for isolating and manipulating an array of individual pairs of atoms in an optical lattice. Atoms in the square lattice can be placed in a double well with any of their four nearest neighbors. The properties of the double well (the barrier height and relative energy offset of the paired sites) can be dynamically controlled. The topology of the lattice is phase stable against phase noise imparted by vibrational noise on mirrors. We demonstrate the dynamic control of the lattice by showing the coherent splitting of atoms from single wells into double wells and observing the resulting double-slit atom diffraction pattern. This lattice can be used to test controlled neutral atom motion among lattice sites and should allow for testing controlled two-qubit gates.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2005

Collisional de-excitation in a quasi-2D degenerate Bose gas

We separate a Bose-Einstein condensate into an array of 2D sheets using a 1D optical lattice, and then excite quantized vibrational motion in the direction normal to the sheets. Collisions between atoms induce vibrational de-excitation, transferring the large excitation energy into back-to-back outgoing atoms, imaged as rings in the 2D plane. The ring diameters correspond to vibrational energy level differences, and edge-on imaging allows identification of the final vibrational states. Time dependence of these data provides a nearly complete characterization of the decay process including the energies, populations, and lifetimes of the lowest two excited vibrational levels. The measured decay rates represent a suppression of collisional de-excitation due to the reduced dimensionality, a matter wave analog to inhibited spontaneous emission.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2004

Strongly inhibited transport of a 1D Bose gas in a lattice

We report the observation of strongly damped dipole oscillations of a quantum degenerate 1D atomic Bose gas in a combined harmonic and optical lattice potential. Damping is significant for very shallow axial lattices (0.25 photon recoil energies), and increases dramatically with increasing lattice depth, such that the gas becomes nearly immobile for times an order of magnitude longer than the single-particle tunneling time. Surprisingly, we see no broadening of the atomic quasimomentum distribution after damped motion. Recent theoretical work suggests that quantum fluctuations can strongly damp dipole oscillations of 1D atomic Bose gas, providing a possible explanation for our observations.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2003

Observation of Reduced Three-Body Recombination in a Fermionized 1D Bose Gas

We investigate correlation properties of a one-dimensional interacting Bose gas by loading a magnetically trapped 87-Rb Bose-Einstein condensate into a deep two-dimensional optical lattice. We measure the three-body recombination rate for both the BEC in the magnetic trap and the BEC loaded into the optical lattice. The recombination rate coefficient is a factor of seven smaller in the lattice, which we interpret as a reduction in the local three-body correlation function in the 1D case. This is a signature of correlation intermediate between that of the uncorrelated phase coherent 1D mean-field regime and the strongly correlated Tonks-Girardeau regime.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2003

Adiabatic loading of bosons into optical lattices

The entropy-temperature curves are calculated for non-interacting bosons in a 3D optical lattice and a 2D lattice with transverse harmonic confinement for ranges of depths and filling factors relevant to current experiments. We demonstrate regimes where the atomic sample can be significantly heated or cooled by adiabatically changing the lattice depth. We indicate the critical points for condensation in the presence of a lattice and show that the system can be reversibly condensed by changing the lattice depth. We discuss the effects of interactions on our results and consider non-adiabatic processes.

cond-mat.soft↗