Oscillations of atomic fermions in a one dimensional optical lattice

TL;DR

This paper models the oscillations of atomic fermions in a one-dimensional optical lattice, revealing small amplitude damping and phase space asymmetries due to a separatrix, enhancing understanding of fermionic dynamics in optical traps.

Contribution

It introduces a semiclassical model to analyze fermionic oscillations in optical lattices, highlighting the role of phase space structures like the separatrix.

Findings

Oscillations exhibit small amplitude and damping in the collisionless regime.

A separatrix causes asymmetric phase space distributions.

The model predicts characteristic dynamical behaviors of fermions in optical lattices.

Abstract

A semiclassical model is used to investigate oscillations of atomic fermions in a combined magnetic trap and one dimensional optical lattice potential following axial displacement of the trap. The oscillations are shown to have a characteristic small amplitude, damped behavior in the collisionless regime. The presence of a separatrix in the semiclassical Brillouin zone phase space is predicted and shown to produce a strongly asymmetric phase space distribution function.