Compression and Parametric Driving of Atoms in Optical Lattices

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Using Bragg scattering we study classical squeezing and wave packet oscillations of the atomic center-of-mass motion of cesium atoms trapped in 1D and 3D optical lattices. A sudden increase of the potential depth leads to wave packets substantially more localized than in steady state, and subsequent breathing-mode oscillations with a decay rate that under some conditions is remarkably slow. We also study the response of the atoms to parametric driving of the center-of-mass motion. Our results are in agreement with Monte Carlo simulations.