Revealing the superfluid–Mott-insulator transition in an optical lattice

Authors

V Kashurnikov
Nikolai Prokof'ev, University of Massachusetts - AmherstFollow
Boris Svistunov, University of Massachusetts - AmherstFollow

Publication Date

2002

Journal or Book Title

Physics Letters A

Abstract

We study (by an exact numerical scheme) the single-particle density matrix of ∼103 ultracold atoms in an optical lattice with a parabolic confining potential. Our simulation is directly relevant to the interpretation and further development of the recent pioneering experiment by Greiner et al., Nature, (London) 415, 39 (2002). In particular, we show that restructuring of the spatial distribution of the superfluid component when a domain of Mott-insulator phase appears in the system, results in a fine structure of the particle momentum distribution. This feature may be used to locate the point of the superfluid–Mott-insulator transition.

Comments

This is the pre-published version harvested from ArXiv. The published version is located at http://pra.aps.org/abstract/PRA/v66/i3/e031601

Volume

66

Issue

3

Recommended Citation

Kashurnikov, V; Prokof'ev, Nikolai; and Svistunov, Boris, "Revealing the superfluid–Mott-insulator transition in an optical lattice" (2002). Physics Letters A. 1167.
Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/physics_faculty_pubs/1167