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Dynamic Tunneling of Ultra-Cold Atoms

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-07, 19:50 authored by Winfried HensingerWinfried Hensinger, H Häffner, A Browaeys, N R Heckenberg, K Helmerson, C McKenzie, G J Milburn, W D Phillips, S L Rolston, H Rubinsztein-Dunlop, B Upcroft
The divergence of quantum and classical descriptions of particle motion is clearly apparent in quantum tunnelling1, 2 between two regions of classically stable motion. An archetype of such non-classical motion is tunnelling through an energy barrier. In the 1980s, a new process, 'dynamical' tunnelling1, 2, 3, was predicted, involving no potential energy barrier; however, a constant of the motion (other than energy) still forbids classically the quantum-allowed motion. This process should occur, for example, in periodically driven, nonlinear hamiltonian systems with one degree of freedom4, 5, 6. Such systems may be chaotic, consisting of regions in phase space of stable, regular motion embedded in a sea of chaos. Previous studies predicted4 dynamical tunnelling between these stable regions. Here we observe dynamical tunnelling of ultracold atoms from a Bose-Einstein condensate in an amplitude-modulated optical standing wave. Atoms coherently tunnel back and forth between their initial state of oscillatory motion (corresponding to an island of regular motion) and the state oscillating 180° out of phase with the initial state.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Nature

ISSN

0028-0836

Publisher

Nature Publishing Group

Volume

412

Page range

52-55

Pages

4.0

Department affiliated with

  • Physics and Astronomy Publications

Notes

I carried out most of the work towards the highly-cited seminal experimental realization of dynamical tunnelling (quantum tunnelling between two states of motion) using a Bose-Einstein condensate, where atoms tunnel through a classical dynamical barrier (KAM surface). Already cited more than 100 times.

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2012-02-06

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