Rotation Sensitive Quench and Revival of Coherent Oscillations in a Ring Lattice

TL;DR

This paper explores how ultracold atoms in a ring lattice exhibit rotation-dependent oscillations and self-trapping, revealing novel quantum dynamics without interatomic interactions, with potential applications in rotation sensing.

Contribution

It introduces a new understanding of rotation-induced transitions between oscillation regimes in a lattice system without interactions, highlighting the role of the energy spectrum.

Findings

Rotation causes periodic quenches and revivals in oscillations.

The system exhibits two distinct behaviors: coherent oscillation and self-trapping.

Rotation effects are determined by the energy spectrum in the absence of the lattice.

Abstract

We consider ultracold atoms trapped in a toroidal trap with an azimuthal lattice for utility as a macroscopic simulator of quantum optics phenomena. We examine the dynamics induced by the adiabatic introduction of the lattice that serves to couple the normal modes, as an analog of a laser field coupling electronic states. The system is found to display two distinct behaviors, manifest in the angular momentum - coherent oscillation and self-trapping - reminiscent of non-linear dynamics, yet not requiring interatomic interactions. The choice is set by the interplay of discrete parameters, the specific initial mode and the periodicity of the lattice. However, rotation can cause continuous transition between the two regimes, causing periodic quenches and revivals in the oscillations as a function of the angular velocity. Curiously, the impact of rotation is determined entirely by the energy spectrum in the absence of the lattice, a feature that can be attributed to adiabaticity. We assess the effects of varying the lattice parameters, and consider applications in rotation sensing.