Production of a Fermi gas of atoms in an optical lattice

TL;DR

This paper reports the creation of a degenerate Fermi gas of potassium atoms in a one-dimensional optical lattice, demonstrating quasi-two-dimensional confinement effects and suppressed dipolar oscillations.

Contribution

It introduces a method to produce a Fermi gas in an optical lattice and observes confinement-induced changes in density of states and dynamics.

Findings

Change in density of states indicating quasi-2D confinement

Suppression of dipolar oscillations in the lattice

Successful sympathetic cooling with rubidium

Abstract

We prepare a degenerate Fermi gas of potassium atoms by sympathetic cooling with rubidium atoms in a one-dimensional optical lattice. In a tight lattice we observe a change of the density of states of the system, which is a signature of quasi two dimensional confinement. We also find that the dipolar oscillations of the Fermi gas along the tight lattice are almost completely suppressed.