Karl Franzens University Graz
Graz University of Technology
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Karl Franzens University Graz | Graz University of Technology | |
Cold Atom Quantum Simulators Ultracold atomic ensembles in optical lattices are one of the top candidates for performing direct quantum simulations of fundamental condensed matter models which show strong quantum correlations. These often include externally applied magnetic fields. Numerous proposals have been made for how to simulate the effect of a magnetic field on trapped neutral atoms. These proposals typically have very stringent experimental requirements in order to access relevant parameter regimes. Here we describe an alternative scheme in which atoms trapped in a static optical lattice are immersed into a rotating Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). We show that the rotation of the BEC induces a controllable phase twist on the hopping term for the impurity atoms in the lattice via their interaction. A crucial advantage of this scheme is that the lattice system, where delicate physical effects are to be realized, is not actually rotating. Instead the rotating BEC is used exclusively to mediate the artificial magnetic field in the lattice and its ability to do so does not require any careful balancing of the centrifugal term. This is in stark contrast to when the principle system under study is rotated directly in order to induce the same effects. |