arXiv:0711.3270 · Physical Review Letters

Observing Zitterbewegung with Ultracold Atoms

J. Y. Vaishnav, Charles W. Clark

Published Apr 16, 2008• 210 citations

Abstract

We propose an optical lattice scheme which would permit the experimental observation of Zitterbewegung (ZB) with ultracold, neutral atoms. A four-level tripod variant of the setup for stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) has previously been proposed for generating non-Abelian gauge fields. Dirac-like Hamiltonians, which exhibit ZB, are simple examples of such non-Abelian gauge fields; we show how a variety of them can arise, and how ZB can be observed, in a tripod system. We predict that the ZB should occur at experimentally accessible frequencies and amplitudes.

DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.100.153002

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