Realizing the Harper Hamiltonian with Laser-Assisted Tunneling in Optical Lattices

2013/08/12 by Hirokazu Miyake, Georgios A. Siviloglou, Colin J. Kennedy +2 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #cond-mat.quant-gas #cond-mat.str-el #physics.atom-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.111.185302

published as Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 185302 (2013) · 8 pages, 4 figures

arxiv created 2013/08/12 · arxiv updated 2013/11/13

Abstract

We experimentally implement the Harper Hamiltonian for neutral particles in optical lattices using laser-assisted tunneling and a potential energy gradient provided by gravity or magnetic field gradients. This Hamiltonian describes the motion of charged particles in strong magnetic fields. Laser-assisted tunneling processes are characterized by studying the expansion of the atoms in the lattice. The band structure of this Hamiltonian should display Hofstadter's butterfly. For fermions, this scheme should realize the quantum Hall effect and chiral edge states.

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