Anssi Collin

Multiband bosons in optical lattices

We study a gas of repulsively interacting bosons in an optical lattice and explore the physics beyond the lowest band Hubbard model. Utilizing a generalized Gutzwiller ansatz, we find how the lowest band physics is modified by the inclusion of the first excited bands. In contrast to the prediction of the lowest band Bose-Hubbard model, a reentrant behavior of superfluidity is envisaged as well as decreasing width of the Mott lobes at strong coupling.

Spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensate in a tilted optical lattice

Bloch oscillations appear for a particle in a weakly tilted periodic potential. The intrinsic spin Hall effect is an outcome of a spin-orbit coupling. We demonstrate that both of these phenomena can be realized simultaneously in a gas of weakly interacting ultracold atoms exposed to a tilted optical lattice and to a set of spatially dependent light fields inducing an effective spin-orbit coupling. It is found that both the spin Hall and the Bloch oscillation effects may coexist, showing, however, a strong correlation between the two. These correlations are manifested as a transverse spin current oscillating in-phase with the Bloch oscillations. On top of the oscillations originating from the periodicity of the model, a trembling motion is found which is believed to be atomic Zitterbewegung. It is argued that the damping of these Zitterbewegung oscillations may to a large extent be prevented in the present setup considering a periodic optical lattice potential.

Coreless vortex ground state of the rotating spinor condensate

We study the ground state of the rotating spinor condensate and show that for slow rotation the ground state of the ferromagnetic spinor condensate is a coreless vortex. While the coreless vortex is not topologically stable, we show that there is an energetic threshold for the creation of a coreless vortex. This threshold corresponds to a critical rotation frequency that vanishes as the system size increases. Also, we demonstrate the dramatically different behavior of the spinor condensate with the antiferromagnetic interactions. For antiferromagnetic spinor condensate the angular momentum as a function of rotation frequency exhibits the familiar discrete staircase behavior, but in contrast to an ordinary condensate the first step is to the state with angular momentum of 1/2 per particle.

Creation of a monopole in a spinor condensate.

We propose a method to create a monopole structure in a multicomponent condensate by applying the basic methods used to create vortices and solitons experimentally in single-component condensates. We also show that by using a two-component structure for a monopole, we can avoid many problems related to the previously suggested three-component monopole. We discuss the observation and dynamics of such a monopole structure, and note that the dynamics of the two-component monopole differs from the dynamics of the three-component monopole.

Improved efficiency of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage in photoassociation of a Bose-Einstein condensate

We theoretically examine Raman photoassociation of a Bose-Einstein condensate, revisiting stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP). Due to collisional mean-field shifts, efficient molecular conversion requires strong coupling and low density, either of which can bring about rogue photodissociation to noncondensate modes. We demonstrate explicitly that rogue transitions are negligible for low excited-state fractions and photodissociation that is slower than the STIRAP time scale. Moreover, we derive a reduced-parameter model of collisions, and thereby find that a gain in the molecular conversion efficiency can be obtained by adjusting the atom-atom scattering length with off-resonant magnetoassociation. This gain saturates when the atom-atom scattering length is tuned to a specific fraction of either the molecule-molecule or atom-molecule scattering length. We conclude that a fully optimized STIRAP scheme may offer the best chance for achieving coherent conversion from an atomic to a molecular condensate with photoassociation.

Quantum states of p-band bosons in optical lattices

We propose a scheme for testing the weak equivalence principle (Universality of Free Fall) using an atom-interferometric measurement of the local differential acceleration between two atomic species with a large mass ratio as test masses. A apparatus in free fall can be used to track atomic free-fall trajectories over large distances. We show how the differential acceleration can be extracted from the interferometric signal using Bayesian statistical estimation, even in the case of a large mass and laser wavelength difference. We show that this statistical estimation method does not suffer from acceleration noise of the platform and does not require repeatable experimental conditions. We specialize our discussion to a dual potassium/rubidium interferometer and extend our protocol with other atomic mixtures. Finally, we discuss the performances of the UFF test developed for the free-fall (0-g) airplane in the ICE project (http://www.ice-space.fr) . Submitted to: New J. Phys. ‡ Present address: Laboratoire de Neuroimagerie Assistée par Ordinateur, CEA/SAC/DSV/I2BM/NeuroSpin, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France § Present address : Centre for Cold Matter, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London, SW7 2BW, United Kingdom A two-species atom interferometer EP test 2We study a gas of repulsively interacting bosons in the first excited band of an optical lattice. We explore this p-band physics both within the framework of a standard mean-field theory as well as with the more accurate generalized Gutzwiller ansatz. We find the phase diagrams for two- and three-dimensional systems and characterize the first Mott-states which typically possess an integer or half-integer vortex structure. Furthermore, we find that even though the p-band model has strongly anisotropic kinetic energies and interflavor interaction terms are missing in the lowest band theory, the mean-field theory becomes useful quite rapidly once the transition from the Mott insulator to the superfluid is crossed.

Comment on 'Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage from an atomic to a molecular Bose-Einstein condensate'

Collective two-color photoassociation of a freely interacting {sup 87}Rb Bose-Einstein condensate is theoretically examined, focusing on stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) from an atomic to a stable molecular condensate. In particular, Drummond et al. [Phys. Rev. A. 65, 063619 (2002)] have predicted that particle-particle interactions can limit the efficiency of collective atom-molecule STIRAP, and that optimizing the laser parameters can partially overcome this limitation. We suggest that the molecular conversion efficiency can be further improved by treating the initial condensate density as an optimization parameter.

Rotational States of Bose gases with attractive interactions in anharmonic traps.

A rotated and harmonically trapped Bose gas with attractive interactions is expected to either remain stationary or escape from the trap. Here we report that, on the contrary, in an anharmonic trapping potential the Bose gas with attractive interactions responds to external rotation very differently, namely, through center-of-mass motion or by formation of vortices.

Center of mass rotation and vortices in an attractive Bose gas

The rotational properties of an attractively interacting Bose gas are studied using analytical and numerical methods. We study perturbatively the ground-state phase space for weak interactions, and find that in an anharmonic trap the rotational ground states are vortex or center-of-mass rotational states; the crossover line separating these two phases is calculated. We further show that the Gross-Pitaevskii equation is a valid description of such a gas in the rotating frame and calculate numerically the phase-space structure using this equation. It is found that the transition between vortex and center-of-mass rotation is gradual; furthermore, the perturbative approach is valid only in an exceedingly small portion of phase space. We also present an intuitive picture of the physics involved in terms of correlated successive measurements for the center-of-mass state.

Dynamical quantum phase transition of a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate in an optical lattice

We study the dynamics of a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate where the two components are coupled via an optical lattice. In particular, we focus on the dynamics as one drives the system through a critical point of a first-order phase transition characterized by a jump in the internal populations. Solving the time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii equation, we analyze the breakdown of adiabaticity, impact of nonlinear atom-atom scattering, and role of a harmonic trapping potential. Our findings demonstrate that the phase transition is resilient to both contact interaction between atoms and external trapping confinement.