Creating and measuring topological matter – with non-local order deeply embedded in the global structure of its quantum mechanical eigenstates – presents unique experimental challenges. Since this order has no signature in local correlation functions, it might seem experimentally inaccessible …
Review article: Detection of topological matter with quantum gases Read more »
Zitterbewegung, a force-free trembling motion first predicted for relativistic fermions like electrons, was an unexpected consequence of the Dirac equation’s unification of quantum mechanics and special relativity. Though the oscillatory motion’s large frequency and small amplitude have precluded its measurement with electrons, zitterbewegung is …
Direct observation of zitterbewegung in a Bose–Einstein condensate Read more »
Electronic properties such as current flow are generally independent of the electron’s spin angular momentum, an internal degree of freedom possessed by quantum particles. The spin Hall effect, first proposed 40 years ago, is an unusual class of phenomena in …
Spin–orbit coupling links a particle’s velocity to its quantum-mechanical spin, and is essential in numerous condensed matter phenomena, including topological insulators and Majorana fermions. In solid-state materials, spin–orbit coupling originates from the movement of electrons in a crystal’s intrinsic electric …
Interactions between particles can be strongly altered by their environment. We demonstrate a technique for modifying interactions between ultracold atoms by dressing the bare atomic states with light, creating an effective interaction of vastly increased range that scatters states of …
Synthetic Partial Waves in Ultracold Atomic Collisions Read more »
Spin–orbit (SO) coupling—the interaction between a quantum particle’s spin and its momentum—is ubiquitous in physical systems. In condensed matter systems, SO coupling is crucial for the spin-Hall effect and topological insulators; it contributes to the electronic properties of materials such …
Karina’s paper [Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 110401 (2010)] featuring a fantastic measurement of the SF/MI phase transition in a 2D Bose-Hubbard system has been published in PRL. Our result is in agreement with QMC calculations with no adjustable parameters. This work …
Phases of a Two-Dimensional Bose Gas in an Optical Lattice Read more »
Ultracold atoms are an excellent system to realize important models in condensed matter physics, owing to its nearly disorder-free and tunable properties. One of the most intriguing topics is the quantum-Hall physics of 2D electronic systems in a strong magnetic …
Synthetic magnetic fields for ultracold neutral atoms Read more »
We experimentally investigate diffraction of a 87Rb Bose-Einstein condensate from a one-dimensional optical lattice. We use a range of lattice periods and timescales, including those beyond the Raman-Nath limit. We compare the results to numerical solutions of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation …
We describe an apparatus for quickly and simply producing 87Rb Bose-Einstein condensates. It is based on a magnetic quadrupole trap and a red-detuned optical dipole trap. We collect atoms in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) and then capture the atoms in …