Selective population of a large-angular-momentum state in an optical lattice

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method to selectively excite ultracold atoms in an optical lattice to a high angular momentum state using periodic modulation and additional lattice structures, confirmed by numerical simulations.

Contribution

It presents a novel pulse sequence technique for populating large angular momentum states in optical lattices, expanding the toolkit for quantum state engineering.

Findings

Successful design of pulse sequences for targeted angular momentum states

Numerical confirmation of state preparation in a 2D optical lattice

Advancement towards modular quantum state control in optical lattices

Abstract

We propose a method to selectively populate a large angular momentum state of ultracold atoms (each with an orbital angular momentum $l \approx 2 \hbar$) in the Mott regime of a two-dimensional optical lattice. This is done by periodically modulating the lattice amplitude and implementing an additional rectangular lattice of shorter wavelength at an angle of $\pi/4$. The specific pulse sequences are designed using a four-level model for each well and are implemented sequentially. The results are confirmed with numerical simulations of the full Schroedinger equation. The methods of this paper are another step in constructing a modular toolbox of operations for creating higher orbital states in optical lattices.