Mainz 2017 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 14: Quantum Gases: Bosons II

Q 14.6: Talk

Monday, March 6, 2017, 18:15–18:30, P 204

Signatures of distinguishability in many-body dynamics — •Gabriel Dufour, Tobias Brünner, Maximilian Dirkmann, Alberto Rodriguez, and Andreas Buchleitner — Physikalisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg

The dynamics of ensembles of quantum particles depends on whether these particles can be distinguished from one another. Indeed, the requirement that many-body states be symmetric under the exchange of identical particles leads to intricate interference effects. These effects have mainly been investigated in the case of non-interacting particles, such as photons in interferometers, but they also play a role in the behaviour of interacting particles, e.g. atoms trapped in optical lattices.

We investigate the ways in which the dynamics of distinguishable and indistinguishable particles differ. To do so, we consider ensembles of bosons condensed into a finite number of modes and which can belong to one of several mutually distinguishable ``species''. We study the structure of the corresponding Hilbert space and its consequences for the dynamics. Moreover, we identify a suitable measure of the level of distinguishability in the system. These results are illustrated by a study of the dynamics of a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate in a double-well.