Atomic Landau-Zener tunneling in Fourier-synthesized optical lattices

TL;DR

This paper experimentally investigates quantum transport of atoms in customizable optical lattices, revealing how phase differences influence Landau-Zener tunneling rates between Bloch bands.

Contribution

It introduces a method to synthesize variable optical potentials using superimposed lattice harmonics and studies their impact on atomic tunneling behavior.

Findings

Tunneling rate depends critically on the relative phase of lattice harmonics.

Both symmetric and asymmetric lattice potentials are explored.

The study demonstrates control over quantum transport via lattice phase tuning.

Abstract

We report on an experimental study of quantum transport of atoms in variable periodic optical potentials. The band structure of both ratchet-type asymmetric and symmetric lattice potentials is explored. The variable atom potential is realized by superimposing a conventional standing wave potential of \lambda/2 spatial periodicity with a fourth-order multiphoton potential of \lambda /4 periodicity. We find that the Landau-Zener tunneling rate between the first and the second excited Bloch band depends critically on the relative phase between the two spatial lattice harmonics.