Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS March Meeting 2011
Volume 56, Number 1
Monday–Friday, March 21–25, 2011; Dallas, Texas
Session P6: Creating and Probing Exotic Optical Lattices |
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Sponsoring Units: DAMOP Chair: Dan Sheehy, Louisiana State University Room: Ballroom C2 |
Wednesday, March 23, 2011 8:00AM - 8:36AM |
P6.00001: Quantum Gas Microscope - Simulating the Bose-Hubbard model and beyond Invited Speaker: The Quantum Gas Microscope enables high fidelity detection of single atoms in a Hubbard-regime optical lattice, bringing ultracold atom research to a new, microscopic level. I will report on investigating the Bose-Hubbard model by directly measuring number statistics and correlations across the superfluid - Mott insulator quantum phase transition. I will then give an outlook on how this enables creating novel phases in optical lattices and realizing quantum magnetism. [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, March 23, 2011 8:36AM - 9:12AM |
P6.00002: Probing Mott insulators with single atom resolution Invited Speaker: This abstract not available. [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, March 23, 2011 9:12AM - 9:48AM |
P6.00003: The Dicke quantum phase transition with a superfluid gas in an optical cavity Invited Speaker: A phase transition describes the sudden change of state in a physical system, such as the transition between fluid and solid. Quantum gases provide the opportunity to establish a direct link between experiment and generic models which capture the underlying physics. A fundamental concept to describe the collective matter-light interaction is the Dicke model which has been predicted to show an intriguing quantum phase transition. We have realized the Dicke quantum phase transition in an open system formed by a Bose-Einstein condensate coupled to an optical cavity, and have observed the emergence of a self-organized supersolid phase. The phase transition is driven by infinitely long-ranged interactions between the condensed atoms, which are induced by two-photon processes involving the cavity mode and a pump field. We have shown that the phase transition is described by the Dicke Hamiltonian, including counter-rotating coupling terms, and that the supersolid phase is associated with a spontaneously broken spatial symmetry. The boundary of the phase transition is mapped out in quantitative agreement with the Dicke model. [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, March 23, 2011 9:48AM - 10:24AM |
P6.00004: Strongly Correlated Quantum Gases Trapped in 3D Spin-Dependent Optical Lattices Invited Speaker: Optical lattices have emerged as ideal systems for exploring Hubbard model physics, since the equivalent of material parameters such as the ratio of tunneling to interaction energy are easily and widely tunable. In this talk I will discuss our recent measurements using novel lattice potentials to realize more complex Hubbard models for bosonic $^{87}$Rb atoms. In these experiments, we adjust the polarization of the lattice laser beams to realize fully three-dimensional, spin-dependent cubic optical lattices. We demonstrate that atoms can be trapped in combinations of spin states for which superfluid and Mott-insulator phases exist simultaneously in the lattice. We also co-trap states that experience a strong lattice potential and no lattice potential whatsoever. I will discuss recent measurements revealing a mechanism similar to Kapitza resistance that leads to thermal decoupling in this latter combination. The implications for sympathetic cooling and thermometry using species-dependent lattices will be outlined. [Preview Abstract] |
Wednesday, March 23, 2011 10:24AM - 11:00AM |
P6.00005: Excitons and Polaritons for Optical Lattice Ultracold Atoms in Cavity QED Invited Speaker: The quantum phase transition from the superfluid to the Mott insulator phase is predicted by the Bose-Hubbard model and realized for optical lattice ultracold atoms. We extend the model to include excited atoms and their coupling to cavity photons. In applying a mean field theory we calculate the phase diagram, where the Mott insulator reappears for deeper optical lattices [1]. In the Mott insulator we consider the system as an artificial crystal similar to molecular crystals with advantages due to the controllability of the system parameters. In such a system electronic excitations are delocalized due to resonance dipole-dipole interactions and in exploiting the lattice symmetry they form collective electronic excitations termed excitons [2]. We show that excitons in low dimensional systems include dark and bright modes, and in free space they can be metastable or superradiant, which deviates from the case of a single atom, the fact that implies the use of resonators [3]. We suggest optical lattice ultracold atoms as new frontiers of matter for cavity QED. In the strong coupling regime excitons and cavity photons are coherently mixed to form new quasiparticles called polaritons [4]. We suggest polariotons as a nondestructive observation tool for the different phases and properties of the system. We present different set-ups that have the potential to realize optical lattice ultracold atoms within a cavity. We emphasize the recent experiment in using tapered nanofibers, which are simultaneously used to trap and optically interface cold atoms through evanescent fields [5]. This system constitutes a hybrid quantum system combining both atomic and solid state devices.\\[4pt] [1] H Zoubi, H Ritsch, \textit{PRA} \textbf{80}, 053608 (2009).\\[0pt] [2] H Zoubi, H Ritsch, \textit{PRA} \textbf{76}, 013817 (2007). [3] H Zoubi, H Ritsch, \textit{EPL} \textbf{90}, 23001 (2010).\\[0pt] [4] H Zoubi, H Ritsch, \textit{EPL} \textbf{87}, 23001 (2009).\\[0pt] [5] H Zoubi, H Ritsch, \textit{NJP} \textbf{12,} 103014 (2010). [Preview Abstract] |
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