• Featured in Physics
  • Editors' Suggestion

Tunable Gauge Potential for Neutral and Spinless Particles in Driven Optical Lattices

J. Struck, C. Ölschläger, M. Weinberg, P. Hauke, J. Simonet, A. Eckardt, M. Lewenstein, K. Sengstock, and P. Windpassinger
Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 225304 – Published 29 May 2012
Physics logo See Viewpoint: Mimicking Magnetic Fields in Optical Lattices
PDFHTMLExport Citation

Abstract

We present a universal method to create a tunable, artificial vector gauge potential for neutral particles trapped in an optical lattice. The necessary Peierls phase of the hopping parameters between neighboring lattice sites is generated by applying a suitable periodic inertial force such that the method does not rely on any internal structure of the particles. We experimentally demonstrate the realization of such artificial potentials, which generate ground-state superfluids at arbitrary nonzero quasimomentum. We furthermore investigate possible implementations of this scheme to create tunable magnetic fluxes, going towards model systems for strong-field physics.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Received 29 February 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.225304

© 2012 American Physical Society

Viewpoint

Key Image

Mimicking Magnetic Fields in Optical Lattices

Published 29 May 2012

Two groups use different approaches to realize artificial magnetic fields for atoms trapped in a one-dimensional optical lattice.

See more in Physics

Authors & Affiliations

J. Struck1, C. Ölschläger1, M. Weinberg1, P. Hauke2, J. Simonet1, A. Eckardt3, M. Lewenstein2,4, K. Sengstock1,*, and P. Windpassinger1

  • 1Institut für Laserphysik, Universität Hamburg, D-22761 Hamburg, Germany
  • 2Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, Mediterranean Technology Park, Av. Carl Friedrich Gauss 3, E-08860 Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain
  • 3Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme, Nöthnitzer Str. 38, D-01187 Dresden, Germany
  • 4ICREA-Instituciò Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Lluis Companys 23, E-08010 Barcelona, Spain

  • *klaus.sengstock@physnet.uni-hamburg.de

See Also

Peierls Substitution in an Engineered Lattice Potential

K. Jiménez-García, L. J. LeBlanc, R. A. Williams, M. C. Beeler, A. R. Perry, and I. B. Spielman
Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 225303 (2012)

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

Supplemental Material (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 108, Iss. 22 — 1 June 2012

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review Letters

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×