G. Natale, T. Bland, Simon Gschwendtner, Louis Lafforgue, Daniel S. Grün, A. Patscheider, Manfred J. Mark, F. Ferlaino Bloch oscillations and matter-wave localization of a dipolar quantum gas in a one-dimensional lattice,
Communications Physics 5 227 (2022-09-15),
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s42005-022-01009-8 doi:10.1038/s42005-022-01009-8 (ID: 720840)
Toggle Abstract
Three-dimensional quantum gases of strongly dipolar atoms can undergo a crossover from a dilute gas to a dense macrodroplet, stabilized by quantum fluctuations. Adding a one-dimensional optical lattice creates a platform where quantum fluctuations are still unexplored, and a rich variety of new phases may be observable. We employ Bloch oscillations as an interferometric tool to assess the role quantum fluctuations play in an array of quasi-two-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensates. Long-lived oscillations are observed when the chemical potential is balanced between sites, in a region where a macrodroplet is extended over several lattice sites. Further, we observe a transition to a state that is localized to a single lattice plane−driven purely by interactions−marked by the disappearance of the interference pattern in the momentum distribution. To describe our observations, we develop a discrete one-dimensional extended Gross-Pitaevskii theory, including quantum fluctuations and a variational approach for the on-site wavefunction. This model is in quantitative agreement with the experiment, revealing the existence of single and multisite macrodroplets, and signatures of a two-dimensional bright soliton.