Observation of interparticle interaction effects in a Bose-Einstein condensate confined in a 1D optical lattice

ORAL

Abstract

Ultracold atoms in optical lattices provide a versatile analogue for solid-state systems and are also of practical interest for atom interferometry and precision measurements. While in many cases the single-particle band structure is well understood, unexpected or even counterintuitive behavior of the system can arise when the lattice depth decreases and becomes comparable to the mean-field interactions. The system then enters a highly nonlinear regime, which adds complexity to determining the lattice depth experimentally and can give rise to loop structures in the dispersion. We demonstrate nonlinear effects in a Bose-Einstein condensate in a 1D optical lattice where the mean-field energy is on the order of the lattice coupling strength by observing the results of Rabi oscillations and Bloch oscillations in the system. The current status and future directions of this work are discussed.

*Support by the NSF is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors

  • Thomas Bersano

    • Washington State University

  • Sean Mossman

    • Washington State University

  • Peter Engels

    • Washington State University
    • Washington State Univ

  • Qingze Guan

    • University of Oklahoma
    • The University of Oklahoma
    • Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Oklahoma, 440 W. Brooks Street, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA
    • Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Oklahoma, 440 West Brooks Street, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA

  • Doerte Blume

    • University of Oklahoma
    • The University of Oklahoma
    • Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Oklahoma, 440 W. Brooks Street, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA