2016/01/31 by Mi Yan, Hoi-Yin Hui, V. W. Scarola · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #cond-mat.quant-gas #cond-mat.dis-nn
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreva.95.053624
published as Phys. Rev. A 95, 053624 (2017) · 10 pages, 11 figures, published version
arxiv created 2017/05/23 · arxiv updated 2017/05/25
Observations of center of mass dynamics offer a straightforward method to identify strongly interacting quantum phases of atoms placed in optical lattices. We theoretically study the dynamics of states derived from the disordered Bose-Hubbard model in a trapping potential. We find that the edge states in the trap allow center of mass motion even with insulating states in the center. We identify short and long-time scale mechanisms for edge state transport in insulating phases. We also argue that the center of mass velocity can aid in identifying a Bose-glass phase. Our zero temperature results offer important insights into mechanisms of transport of atoms in trapped optical lattices while putting bounds on center of mass dynamics expected at non-zero temperature.