Quantum Phases of Matter in Optical Lattices
Abstract
Ultracold atoms confined in optical lattice potentials provide an ideal platform to address some of the most outstanding questions in quantum many-body physics, that are difficult or impossible to study using conventional solid state systems. During this DARPA program, progressin several important directions has been made. We have developed cooling techniques suitable for a lattice system and cooled fermionic lithium atoms confined in a three-dimensional (3D) cubic lattice to unprecedented low temperatures, very close to the Neel temperature. We employed Bragg scattering of near-resonant light to observe the antiferromagnetic correlations. We have mapped the phase diagram overthe entire BEC-BCS crossover for a trapped 3D gas with imbalanced numbers of spin-up and spin-down atoms, and have also observed the crossover from a 1D to a 3D spin-imbalanced Fermi gas. We have investigated dynamics, rethermalization and out-of-equilibrium phenomena in strongly correlated lattice systems, as well as in disordered lattice systems. These studies greatly deepened our understanding of quantum phases of matter in lattice potentials.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 30, 2015
- Accession Number
- AD1023968
Entities
People
- Han Pu
- Randall G. Hulet
Organizations
- Rice University