2011/08/31 by Tobias Salger, Sebastian Kling, Christopher Grossert +1 · 75 citations
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Condensed matter physics #Dispersion relation #Electron #Exponential function #Klein–Gordon equation #Lattice (music) #Nonlinear system #Optical lattice #Physics #Quadratic equation #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum electrodynamics #Quantum mechanics #Quantum tunnelling #Relativistic particle #Relativistic wave equations #Strong Light-Matter Interactions #Superfluidity #Wave function #cond-mat.quant-gas #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.107.240401
published in Physical Review Letters 107(24), 240401 (American Physical Society) · main: 4 pages, 4 figures supplement: 4 pages, 1 figure
openalex publication_date 2011/12/07 · arxiv created 2013/08/13 · arxiv updated 2013/08/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
A proof-of-principle experiment simulating effects predicted by relativistic wave equations with ultracold atoms in a bichromatic optical lattice that allows for a tailoring of the dispersion relation is reported. We observe the analog of Klein tunneling, the penetration of relativistic particles through a potential barrier without the exponential damping that is characteristic for nonrelativistic quantum tunneling. Both linear (relativistic) and quadratic (nonrelativistic) dispersion relations are investigated, and significant barrier transmission is observed only for the relativistic case.