Quasi-periodic Wannier-Stark ladders from driven atomic Bloch oscillations

Year: 2014

Authors: Artoni M., La Rocca G.C., Ferrari G.

Autors Affiliation: Department of Engineering and Information Technology, Brescia University, Brescia, Italy; European Laboratory for Nonlinear Spectroscopy (LENS), Florence, Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Ottica (INO), I-50125 Florence, Italy; Scuola Normale Superiore and CNISM, Pisa, Italy; INO-CNR BEC Center and Dipartimento di Fisica, Trento University, I-38123 Povo, Italy

Abstract: Periodic Wannier-Stark ladder structures of the energy resonances associated with Bloch oscillations can be readily modified into quasi-periodic ones that exhibit peculiar self-similar effects. A compact theoretical description of the dynamics of driven Bloch oscillations is developed here within the quasi-momentum representation. We identify a rather viable scheme based on ultracold atomic wavepackets subject to gravity in a driven optical lattice potential where a self-similar scaling could be observed. Its feasibility in terms of realistic experimental parameters is also discussed.

Journal/Review: PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY A-MATHEMATICAL PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCE

Volume: 470 (2171)      Pages from: 20140421-1  to: 20140421-19

KeyWords: atomic Bloch oscillations; self-similar structures; ultracold atoms
DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2014.0421

ImpactFactor: 2.192

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