Tunneling control and localization for Bose-Einstein condensates in a frequency modulated optical lattice

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates precise control of tunneling and localization of Bose-Einstein condensates in frequency-modulated optical lattices, enabling reversible quantum phase transitions and preserving coherence during strong shaking.

Contribution

It introduces a method to control tunneling in shaken optical lattices, showing coherence preservation and adiabatic parameter changes even with interactions, advancing quantum simulation capabilities.

Findings

Tunneling properties can be precisely controlled via lattice shaking.

Strong shaking preserves matter wave coherence.

Reversible quantum phase transition to Mott insulator achieved.

Abstract

The similarity between matter waves in periodic potential and solid-state physics processes has triggered the interest in quantum simulation using Bose-Fermi ultracold gases in optical lattices. The present work evidences the similarity between electrons moving under the application of oscillating electromagnetic fields and matter waves experiencing an optical lattice modulated by a frequency difference, equivalent to a spatially shaken periodic potential. We demonstrate that the tunneling properties of a Bose-Einstein condensate in shaken periodic potentials can be precisely controlled. We take additional crucial steps towards future applications of this method by proving that the strong shaking of the optical lattice preserves the coherence of the matter wavefunction and that the shaking parameters can be changed adiabatically, even in the presence of interactions. We induce reversibly the quantum phase transition to the Mott insulator in a driven periodic potential.