Berlin 2014 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 49: Quantum gases: Lattices I

Q 49.4: Talk

Thursday, March 20, 2014, 17:15–17:30, UDL HS2002

Dicke super-radiance as a non-destructive probe for the Mott–superfluid phase transition in Bose-Hubbard lattices — •Nicolai ten Brinke and Ralf Schützhold — Fakultät für Physik, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Lotharstraße 1, D-47057 Duisburg, Germany

The behaviour of bosonic atoms in an optical lattice is well described by the Bose-Hubbard model. Depending on the lattice parameters, this model features the quantum phase transition from a Mott-insulator state to a superfluid phase. Typically, this transition is detected by destructive measurements such as time-of-flight experiments or a direct counting of the number (parity) of atoms per lattice site, which destroys their quantum coherence.

We propose and investigate an alternative and less destructive method based on Dicke super-radiance, i.e., the collective and coherent absorption and emission of (infrared) photons by the atom ensemble. In this case, the emitted photons contain information about the coherence properties of the atoms and thus their quantum state. As an example, we study a quantum quench across the Mott–superfluid phase transition and compare it to a (quasi) adiabatic crossover.