2 research outputs found
Probing the Superfluid to Mott Insulator Transition at the Single Atom Level
Quantum gases in optical lattices offer an opportunity to experimentally
realize and explore condensed matter models in a clean, tunable system. We
investigate the Bose-Hubbard model on a microscopic level using single
atom-single lattice site imaging; our technique enables space- and
time-resolved characterization of the number statistics across the
superfluid-Mott insulator quantum phase transition. Site-resolved probing of
fluctuations provides us with a sensitive local thermometer, allows us to
identify microscopic heterostructures of low entropy Mott domains, and enables
us to measure local quantum dynamics, revealing surprisingly fast transition
timescales. Our results may serve as a benchmark for theoretical studies of
quantum dynamics, and may guide the engineering of low entropy phases in a
lattice