Darmstadt 2008 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 59: Transport in ultrakalten Gasen und Plasmen [gemeinsam mit A]

Q 59.4: Talk

Friday, March 14, 2008, 12:00–12:15, 3C

Damped Bloch Oscillations of Bose Einstein Condensates in disordered gradient fields — •Sascha Drenkelforth, Georg Kleine Büning, Johannes Will, Wolfgang Ertmer, and Jan Arlt — Institut für Quantenoptik, Universität Hannover, Welfengarten 1, 30167 Hannover

Optical lattices are excellent tools to probe the nature of quantum degenerate Bose gases and serve as an ideal testing ground for theories originating in solid state physics.

One of the most peculiar effects in the framework of periodic potentials is the well known Bloch Oscillation (BO) of quantum particles. Under the influence of a constant force they undergo an oscillatory motion instead of a linear acceleration.

We report on our investigations of damped BO in optical lattices. The addition of disorder to the prior perfect optical lattice leads to an dephasing and therefore to a damping of the BO [1]. The experimental results show increased damping with stronger disorder and a strong broadening of the quasimomentum distribution during the time evolution of the BO.

These results promise a better understanding of the role of disorder in quantum transport experiments.

[1] Schulte et al., cond-mat/0707.3131(2007)