Clock spectroscopy of interacting bosons in deep optical lattices

TL;DR

This paper uses high-resolution optical spectroscopy to study interacting bosonic ytterbium atoms in deep optical lattices, revealing detailed collisional parameters and interaction effects in Mott insulator phases.

Contribution

It provides precise measurements of collisional parameters and interaction effects in bosonic ytterbium atoms using clock spectroscopy in deep optical lattices.

Findings

Measured inelastic decay rates of doubly-occupied sites.

Determined intra- and inter-state scattering lengths.

Observed long-lived Rabi oscillations in singly-occupied sites.

Abstract

We report on high-resolution optical spectroscopy of interacting bosonic $^{174}$Yb atoms in deep optical lattices with negligible tunneling. We prepare Mott insulator phases with singly- and doubly-occupied isolated sites and probe the atoms using an ultra-narrow "clock" transition. Atoms in singly-occupied sites undergo long-lived Rabi oscillations. Atoms in doubly-occupied sites are strongly affected by interatomic interactions, and we measure their inelastic decay rates and energy shifts. We deduce from these measurements all relevant collisional parameters involving both clock states, in particular the intra- and inter-state scattering lengths.