INTERACT1DBOSON

STRONGLY INTERACTING 1D BOSE GASES

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The physics of interacting one-dimensional systems is very different from that of ordinary three-dimensional configurations. In systems where the dynamics is constrained to only one dimension, interactions play a special role since particles can not avoid each other. As a result, the behaviour of 1D systems turns out to be very peculiar and often counter-intuitive, making them very interesting to study. For example, interacting 1D bosons have the fascinating property to “fermionize” as strong interactions mimic the Pauli exclusion principle. It has been proposed that such one-dimensional systems could be obtained by loading degenerate atomic gases in optical dipole potentials. The scientific interest for the realization of strongly correlated systems goes beyond the field of cold atoms as it might shed new light on long-standing issues in condensed matter physics. Some first experiments have been realized to manipulate such strongly interacting 1D Bose gases. Here, we propose to use optical dipole potentials (a red-detuned 2D lattice and a blue-detuned beam controlling the longitudinal curvature) to create strongly correlated degenerate 1D Bose gases. Such a setup will allow us to continuously tune our 1D gases from the mean-field regime to close to a “fermionized” Bose gas (Tonks-Girardeau regime). We plan to implement a Bragg spectroscopy scheme with a tunable angle and to make use of the noise correlation technic to quantitatively characterize the correlations in the 1D gases, including the spatial extent of correlation functions and their scaling with the strengh of interactions. In addition we propose to study metal-insulator quantum phase transitions induced by the presence of an optical lattice (Mott transition) or a disordered potential (Bose Glass phase) in the strongly interacting regime. A clear identification of these new insulating quantum phases should be provided by the use of the Bragg spectroscopy and noise correlation technics.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

An EU-funded study made advances in one-dimensional studies of Boson subatomic particles.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

'Bosons' are subatomic particles that obey Bose-Einstein statistics, which determine the statistical distribution of identical bosons over the energy states in thermal equilibrium. Several bosons can occupy the same quantum state.

The physics of interacting one-dimensional (1D) systems is very different from those of ordinary three-dimensional (3D) configurations. In a single dimension, particles cannot avoid each other and so behave very peculiarly, even counter-intuitively. Such 1-D interactions can be obtained by loading degenerate atomic gases in optical dipole potentials.

The 'Strongly interacting 1D bose gases' (Interact1DBoson) sought to use optical dipole potentials to create strongly correlated degenerate 1-D Bose gases. The project managed to trap a Bose-Einstein condensate of 87Rb in a red detuned two-dimensional (2D) optical lattice. When the two perpendicular optical lattices tightly confine the atoms along their direction of propagation, an array of 1-D systems can be obtained. In fact, the atoms can effectively move only along the direction where no lattice is present.

The lattice potential is strong enough that the coupling between the 1-D atomic systems can be completely neglected in the time scale of the experiment and an array of independent 1-D systems is obtained.

These results will be useful both in the fields of cold atoms and condensed matter physics, and other researchers can build upon them.