Abstract
We experimentally implement the Harper Hamiltonian for neutral particles in optical lattices using laser-assisted tunneling and a potential energy gradient provided by gravity or magnetic field gradients. This Hamiltonian describes the motion of charged particles in strong magnetic fields. Laser-assisted tunneling processes are characterized by studying the expansion of the atoms in the lattice. The band structure of this Hamiltonian should display Hofstadter’s butterfly. For fermions, this scheme should realize the quantum Hall effect and chiral edge states.
- Received 6 August 2013
- Publisher error corrected 28 October 2013
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.185302
© 2013 American Physical Society
Corrections
28 October 2013
Erratum
Publisher’s Note: Realizing the Harper Hamiltonian with Laser-Assisted Tunneling in Optical Lattices [Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 185302 (2013)]
Hirokazu Miyake, Georgios A. Siviloglou, Colin J. Kennedy, William Cody Burton, and Wolfgang Ketterle
Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 199903 (2013)
Viewpoint
Looking for Hofstadter’s Butterfly in Cold Atoms
Published 28 October 2013
Two research groups have engineered an optical lattice of atoms that mimic the behavior of electrons moving in a crystal and a strong magnetic field.
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