Abstract
Coherent propagation of atomic-matter waves in a one-dimensional optical lattice is studied. Wave packets of cold two-level atoms propagate simultaneously in two optical potentials in a dressed-state basis. Three regimes of the wave-packet propagation are specified by the quantity Δ2 /ω D , where Δ and ω D are the dimensionless atom–laser detuning and the Doppler shift, respectively. At Δ2 /ω D ≫ 1, the propagation is essentially adiabatic, at Δ2 /ω D ≪ 1, it is (almost) resonant, and at Δ2 ≃ ω D , the wave packets propagate nonadiabatically, splitting at each node of the standing wave. The latter means that the atom makes a transition from one potential to the other one when crossing each node, and the probability of that transition is given by a Landau–Zener-like formula. All the regimes of propagation are studied with δ-like and Gaussian wave packets in the momentum and position spaces. Varying the control parameters, we can create wave packets trapped in a well of optical potentials and moving ballistically in a given direction in close analogy with point-like atoms. Within some range of the parameters, we force the atom to move in a pure quamtum-mechanical manner in such a way that a part of the packet is trapped in a well, and the other part propagates ballistically. The propagation modes are found to be characterized by different types of time evolution of the uncertainty product and the Wigner function.
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Manuscript submitted by the authors in English on May 19, 2010.
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Konkov, L.E., Prants, S.V. Matter-wave propagation in optical lattices. J Russ Laser Res 31, 281–293 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10946-010-9147-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10946-010-9147-1