858 research outputs found
Synthetic clock transitions via continuous dynamical decoupling
Decoherence of quantum systems due to uncontrolled fluctuations of the
environment presents fundamental obstacles in quantum science. `Clock'
transitions which are insensitive to such fluctuations are used to improve
coherence, however, they are not present in all systems or for arbitrary system
parameters. Here, we create a trio of synthetic clock transitions using
continuous dynamical decoupling in a spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate in which
we observe a reduction of sensitivity to magnetic field noise of up to four
orders of magnitude; this work complements the parallel work by Anderson et al.
(submitted, 2017). In addition, using a concatenated scheme, we demonstrate
suppression of sensitivity to fluctuations in our control fields. These
field-insensitive states represent an ideal foundation for the next generation
of cold atom experiments focused on fragile many-body phases relevant to
quantum magnetism, artificial gauge fields, and topological matter.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, Supplemental material
Perpetual emulation threshold of PT-symmetric Hamiltonians
We describe a technique to emulate a two-level \PT-symmetric spin
Hamiltonian, replete with gain and loss, using only the unitary dynamics of a
larger quantum system. This we achieve by embedding the two-level system in
question in a subspace of a four-level Hamiltonian. Using an \textit{amplitude
recycling} scheme that couples the levels exterior to the \PT-symmetric
subspace, we show that it is possible to emulate the desired behaviour of the
\PT-symmetric Hamiltonian without depleting the exterior, reservoir levels. We
are thus able to extend the emulation time indefinitely, despite the
non-unitary \PT dynamics. We propose a realistic experimental implementation
using dynamically decoupled magnetic sublevels of ultracold atoms.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure
Fourier transform spectroscopy of a spin-orbit coupled Bose gas
We describe a Fourier transform spectroscopy technique for directly measuring
band structures, and apply it to a spin-1 spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein
condensate. In our technique, we suddenly change the Hamiltonian of the system
by adding a spin-orbit coupling interaction and measure populations in
different spin states during the subsequent unitary evolution. We then
reconstruct the spin and momentum resolved spectrum from the peak frequencies
of the Fourier transformed populations. In addition, by periodically modulating
the Hamiltonian, we tune the spin-orbit coupling strength and use our
spectroscopy technique to probe the resulting dispersion relation. The
frequency resolution of our method is limited only by the coherent evolution
timescale of the Hamiltonian and can otherwise be applied to any system, for
example, to measure the band structure of atoms in optical lattice potentials
A rapidly expanding Bose-Einstein condensate: an expanding universe in the lab
We study the dynamics of a supersonically expanding ring-shaped Bose-Einstein
condensate both experimentally and theoretically. The expansion redshifts
long-wavelength excitations, as in an expanding universe. After expansion,
energy in the radial mode leads to the production of bulk topological
excitations -- solitons and vortices -- driving the production of a large
number of azimuthal phonons and, at late times, causing stochastic persistent
currents. These complex nonlinear dynamics, fueled by the energy stored
coherently in one mode, are reminiscent of a type of "preheating" that may have
taken place at the end of inflation.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure
Engineering Time-Reversal Invariant Topological Insulators With Ultra-Cold Atoms
Topological insulators are a broad class of unconventional materials that are
insulating in the interior but conduct along the edges. This edge transport is
topologically protected and dissipationless. Until recently, all existing
topological insulators, known as quantum Hall states, violated time-reversal
symmetry. However, the discovery of the quantum spin Hall effect demonstrated
the existence of novel topological states not rooted in time-reversal
violations. Here, we lay out an experiment to realize time-reversal topological
insulators in ultra-cold atomic gases subjected to synthetic gauge fields in
the near-field of an atom-chip. In particular, we introduce a feasible scheme
to engineer sharp boundaries where the "edge states" are localized. Besides,
this multi-band system has a large parameter space exhibiting a variety of
quantum phase transitions between topological and normal insulating phases. Due
to their unprecedented controllability, cold-atom systems are ideally suited to
realize topological states of matter and drive the development of topological
quantum computing.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
Synthetic gauge fields in synthetic dimensions
We describe a simple technique for generating a cold-atom lattice pierced by
a uniform magnetic field. Our method is to extend a one-dimensional optical
lattice into the "dimension" provided by the internal atomic degrees of
freedom, yielding a synthetic 2D lattice. Suitable laser-coupling between these
internal states leads to a uniform magnetic flux within the 2D lattice. We show
that this setup reproduces the main features of magnetic lattice systems, such
as the fractal Hofstadter butterfly spectrum and the chiral edge states of the
associated Chern insulating phases.Comment: 5+4 pages, 5+3 figures, two-column revtex; v2: discussion of role of
interactions added, Fig. 1 reshaped, minor changes, references adde
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