Interference of atomic levels and superfluid -- Mott insulator phase transition in a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate

The superfluid -- Mott insulator phase transition in a Bose-Einstein condensate of neutral atoms with doubly degenerate internal ground states in an optical lattice is theoretically investigated. The optical lattice is created by two counterpropagating linearly polarized laser beams with the angle $\theta$ between the polarization vectors (lin-angle-lin configuration). The phase diagram of the system and the critical values of the parameters are worked out. It is shown that the sign of the detuning plays an important role and that there is a strong suppression of the Mott transition in the case of blue detuning. Varying the laser intensity and/or the angle $\theta$ one can manipulate the Mott-insulator to superfluid quantum phase transition as well as prepare the condensate in physically distinguishable "ferromagnetic" and "antiferromagnetic" superfluid states

Spin-1 bosons with coupled ground states in optical lattices

The superfluid--Mott-insulator phase transition of ultracold spin-1 bosons with ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions in an optical lattice is theoretically investigated. Two counterpropagating linearly polarized laser beams with the angle $\theta$ between the polarization vectors (lin-$\theta$-lin configuration), driving an $F_g=1$ to $F_e=1$ internal atomic transition, create the optical lattice and at the same time couple atomic ground states with magnetic quantum numbers $m=\pm 1$. Due to the coupling the system can be described as a two-component one. At $\theta=0$ the system has a continuous isospin symmetry, which can be spontaneously broken, thereby fixing the number of particles in the atomic components. The phase diagram of the system and the spectrum of collective excitations, which are density waves and isospin waves, are worked out. In the case of ferromagnetic interactions, the superfluid--Mott-insulator phase transition is always second order, but in the case of antiferromagnetic interactions for some values of system parameters it is first order and the superfluid and Mott phases can coexist. Varying the angle $\theta$ one can control the populations of atomic components and continuously turn on and tune their asymmetry

Ultracold Bose atoms in intense laser fields: intensity- and density-dependent effects

Starting from the first principles of nonrelativistic QED we have derived the system of Maxwell-Schr\"odinger equations, which can be used for theoretical description of atom optical phenomena at high densities of atoms and high intensities of the laser radiation. The role of multiple atomic transitions between ground and excited states in atom optics has been investigated. Nonlinear optical properties of interacting Bose gas are studied: formula for the refractive index has been derived and the polariton spectrum of a condensate interacting with an intense laser field has been investigated.Comment: 13 pages, LaTeX, Special issue on Bose-Einstein condensation of trapped atom

Dark solitons near the Mott-insulator--superfluid phase transition

Dark solitons of ultracold bosons in the vicinity of the Mott-insulator--superfluid phase transition are studied. Making use of the Gutzwiller ansatz we have found antisymmetric eigenstates corresponding to standing solitons, as well as propagating solitons created by phase imprinting. Near the phase boundary, superfluidity has either a particle or a hole character depending on the system parameters, which greatly affects the characteristics of both types of solitons. Within the insulating Mott regions, soliton solutions are prohibited by lack of phase coherence between the lattice sites. Linear and modulational stability show that the soliton solutions are sensitive to small perturbations and, therefore, unstable. In general, their lifetimes differ for on-site and off-site modes. For the on-site modes, there are small areas between the Mott-insulator regions where the lifetime is very large, and in particular much larger than that for the off-site modes.Comment: 10 pages, 12 figure

Ultracold bosons with short-range interaction in regular optical lattices

During the last decade, many exciting phenomena have been experimentally observed and theoretically predicted for ultracold atoms in optical lattices. This paper reviews these rapid developments concentrating mainly on the theory. Different types of the bosonic systems in homogeneous lattices of different dimensions as well as in the presence of harmonic traps are considered. An overview of the theoretical methods used for these investigations as well as of the obtained results is given. Available experimental techniques are presented and discussed in connection with theoretical considerations. Eigenstates of the interacting bosons in homogeneous lattices and in the presence of harmonic confinement are analysed. Their knowledge is essential for understanding of quantum phase transitions at zero and finite temperature

Surface effects influencing the single-atom spontaneous emission in a linear atomic chain

As a contribution to quantum optics in the vicinity of surfaces we study the single atom spontaneous emission in a linear chain of two-level atoms. The electromagnetic field is thereby treated with the help of integro-differential equations which take into account the interaction with the other atoms in the chain. The life time of the excited atom, the frequency shift of the atomic transition and the angular distribution of emitted photons are worked out. They depend on the position of the emitting atom. As compared with the single atom in free space, considerable modifications occur for atoms a few interatomic distances away from the ends of the chain

Local-field effect in atom optics of two-component Bose-Einstein condensates

Starting from the first principles of nonrelativistic QED we have developed the quantum theory of the interaction of a two-component ultracold atomic ensemble with the electromagnetic field of vacuum and laser photons. The main attention has been paid to the consistent consideration of dynamical dipole-dipole interactions in the radiation field. Taking into account local-field effects we have derived the system of Maxwell-Bloch equations. Optical properties of the two-component Bose gas are investigated. It is shown that the refractive index of the gas is given by the Maxwell-Garnett formula. All equations which are used up to now for the description of the behavior of an ultracold atomic ensemble in a radiation field can be obtained from our general system of equations in the low-density limit. Raman-Nath diffraction of the two-component atomic beam is investigated on the basis of our general system of equations.Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX, talk at the 9th International Workshop on Laser Physic

Microscopic theory of the interaction of ultracold dense Bose and Fermi gases with electromagnetic field

We present the rigorous microscopic quantum theory of the interaction of ultracold Bose and Fermi gases with the electromagnetic field of vacuum and laser photons. The main attention has been paid to the consistent consideration of dynamical dipole-dipole interactions. The theory developed is shown to be consistent with the general principles of the canonical quantization of electromagnetic field in a medium. Starting from the first principles of QED we have derived the general system of Maxwell-Bloch equations for atomic creation and annihilation operators and the propagation equation for the laser field which can be used for the self-consistent analysis of various linear and nonlinear phenomena in atom optics at high densities of the atomic system. All known equations which are used for the description of the behaviour of an ultracold atomic ensemble in a radiation field can be obtained from our general system of equations in a low-density limit.Comment: 6 pages, RevTeX, invited talk at the 8TH International Workshop on Laser Physic

Phase diagram of quasi-two-dimensional bosons in laser speckle potential

We have studied the phase diagram of a quasi-two-dimensional interacting Bose gas at zero temperature in the presence of random potential created by laser speckles. The superfluid fraction and the fraction of particles with zero momentum are obtained within the mean-field Gross-Pitaevskii theory and in diffusion Monte Carlo simulations. We find a transition from the superfluid to the insulating state, when the strength of the disorder grows. Estimations of the critical parameters are compared with the predictions of the percolation theory in the Thomas-Fermi approximation. Analytical expressions for the zero-momentum fraction and the superfluid fraction are derived in the limit of weak disorder and weak interactions within the framework of the Bogoliubov theory. Limits of validity of various approximations are discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; v2 - published versio

Local-field approach to the interaction of an ultracold dense Bose gas with a light field

The propagation of the electromagnetic field of a laser through a dense Bose gas is examined and nonlinear operator equations for the motion of the center of mass of the atoms are derived. The goal is to present a self-consistent set of coupled Maxwell-Bloch equations for atomic and electromagnetic fields generalized to include the atomic center-of-mass motion. Two effects are considered: The ultracold gas forms a medium for the Maxwell field which modifies its propagation properties. Combined herewith is the influence of the dipole-dipole interaction between atoms which leads to a density dependent shift of the atomic transition frequency. It is expressed in a position dependent detuning and is the reason for the nonlinearity. This results in a direct and physically transparent way from the quantum field theoretical version of the local-field approach to electrodynamics in quantum media. The equations for the matter fields are general. Previously published nonlinear equations are obtained as limiting cases. As an atom optical application the scattering of a dense beam of a Bose gas is studied in the Raman-Nath regime. The main conclusion is that for increasing density of the gas the dipole-dipole interaction suppresses or enhances the scattering depending on the sign of the detuning.Comment: 19 pages, RevTeX, to be published in the Physical Review