2011/07/08 by Jacob F. Sherson, Jacob Sherson, Sung Jong Park +8 · 15 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Acoustics #Atomic physics #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Computer network #Condensed matter physics #Coupling (piping) #Lattice (music) #Network packet #Physics #Quantum electrodynamics #Quantum, superfluid, helium dynamics #Strong Light-Matter Interactions #Wave packet #cond-mat.quant-gas #quant-ph
paper · pdf · open access · doi:10.1088/1367-2630/14/8/083013
published in New Journal of Physics 14(8), 083013 (IOP Publishing) · 5 pages, 5 figures
arxiv created 2011/07/08 · openalex publication_date 2012/08/14 · arxiv updated 2015/11/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The coherent manipulation of wave packets is an important tool in many areas of physics. We demonstrate the experimental realization of quasi-free wave packets of ultra-cold atoms bound by an external harmonic trap. The wave packets are produced by modulating the intensity of an optical lattice containing a Bose-Einstein condensate. The evolution of these wave packets is monitored in-situ and their reflection on a band gap is observed. In direct analogy with pump-probe spectroscopy, a probe pulse allows for the resonant de-excitation of the wave packet into localized lattice states at a long, controllable distance of more than 100 lattice sites from the main component. This coherent control mechanism for ultra-cold atoms thus enables controlled quantum state preparation, opening exciting perspectives for quantum metrology and simulation.