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arXiv:2404.13151 · Physical Review Letters

Observation of Momentum Space Josephson Effects in Weakly Coupled Bose-Einstein Condensates

Annesh Mukhopadhyay, Xi-Wang Luo, Colby E. Schimelfenig, M. K. H. Ome, Sean M. Mossman, Chuanwei Zhang, Peter Engels

Published Jun 7, 2024• 15 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The momentum space Josephson effect describes the supercurrent flow between weakly coupled Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) at two discrete momentum states. Here, we experimentally observe this exotic phenomenon using a BEC with Raman-induced spin-orbit coupling, where the tunneling between two local band minima is implemented by the momentum kick of an additional optical lattice. A sudden quench of the Raman detuning induces coherent spin-momentum oscillations of the BEC, which is analogous to the ac Josephson effect. We observe both plasma and regular Josephson oscillations in different parameter regimes. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical model and numerical simulation and showcase the important role of nonlinear interactions. We also show that the measurement of the Josephson plasma frequency gives the Bogoliubov zero quasimomentum gap, which determines the mass of the corresponding pseudo-Goldstone mode, a long-sought phenomenon in particle physics. The observation of momentum space Josephson physics offers an exciting platform for quantum simulation and sensing utilizing momentum states as a synthetic degree.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.132.233403

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The momentum space Josephson effect describes the supercurrent flow between weakly coupled Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) at two discrete momentum states. Here, we experimentally observe this exotic phenomenon using a BEC with Raman-induced spin-orbit coupling, where the tunneling between two local band minima is implemented by the momentum kick of an additional optical lattice. A sudden quench of the Raman detuning induces coherent spin-momentum oscillations of the BEC, which is analogous to the ac Josephson effect. We observe both plasma and regular Josephson oscillations in different parameter regimes. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical model and numerical simulation and showcase the important role of nonlinear interactions. We also show that the measurement of the Josephson plasma frequency gives the Bogoliubov zero quasimomentum gap, which determines the mass of the corresponding pseudo-Goldstone mode, a long-sought phenomenon in particle physics. The observation of momentum space Josephson physics offers an exciting platform for quantum simulation and sensing utilizing momentum states as a synthetic degree.
The Josephson effect is a prominent phenomenon of quantum supercurrents that has been widely studied in superconductors and superfluids. Typical Josephson junctions consist of two real-space superconductors (superfluids) coupled through a weak tunneling barrier. Here we propose a momentum-space Josephson junction in a spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensate, where states with two different momenta are coupled through Raman-assisted tunneling. We show that Josephson currents can be induced not only by applying the equivalent of "voltages," but also by tuning tunneling phases. Such tunneling-phase-driven Josephson junctions in momentum space are characterized through both full mean field analysis and a concise two-level model, demonstrating the important role of interactions between atoms. Our scheme provides a platform for experimentally realizing momentum-space Josephson junctions and exploring their applications in quantum-mechanical circuits.
In ultracold atoms, bosons tunneling in a double-well potential can produce a typical Josephson junction in real space. A major advancement in quantum matter and simulations is anticipated by the recently found momentum-space Josephson junctions, which elucidates the supercurrent flow between spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensates at two distinct independent momentum states. For the first time, our study unveils specific protocols to engineer momentum-space Josephson dynamics for scalar bosons (or a single-component condensate) in a rotating frame through modulation of the geometry of a double-well trapping potential and rotation frequencies. In this setup, the rotation simultaneously results in effective double wells both in position and in momentum spaces, and the dynamics of the corresponding Josephson junctions is hosted in these double wells. Consequently, it is observed that the rotation generates momentum-space Josephson dynamics of the condensate along the transverse direction and position-space Josephson dynamics along the longitudinal direction; these effects are particularly noticeable for high rotation frequencies. Additionally, the rotation-induced momentum-space junctions are highly significant in both the mean-field and many-body dynamics. Our protocols offer a framework for investigating momentum-space Josephson junctions for single-component condensates in both theoretical and experimental contexts, as well as their significant applications in quantum mechanical devices.
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Self-trapping is a hallmark phenomenon of nonlinear dynamics. It has significant applications in modern physics, including band structure engineering, phase transition dynamics, quantum metrology, and more. Dilute-gas Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs), in which self-trapping can arise from interatomic interactions, are a prime testbed for probing nonlinear dynamics. In this Letter, we report the observation of self-trapping in a spin-orbit coupled BEC subjected to a stationary optical lattice. We employ Raman-induced spin-orbit coupling, complemented by a matching optical lattice that facilitates coupling between momentum eigenstates of the spin-orbit coupled system. By ramping the Raman detuning, we probe atomic current flow between these eigenstates and identify a clear distinction between a delocalized mixed state and a self-trapped regime. Following a quench of the Raman detuning, the time-averaged atomic current exhibits non-analytic behavior across the transition between these two regimes in certain parameter ranges, signaling a dynamical phase transition in the system.
We demonstrate that the two degenerate energy levels in spin–orbit coupled trapped Bose gases, coupled by a quenched Zeeman field, can be used for angular momentum Josephson effect. In a static quenched field, we can realize a Josephson oscillation with a period ranging from millisecond to hundreds of milliseconds. Moreover, by a driven Zeeman field, we realize a new Josephson oscillation, in which the population imbalance may have the same expression as the current in the direct-current Josephson effect. When the dynamics of the condensate cannot follow up the modulation frequency, it is in the self-trapping regime. This new dynamic is understood from the time-dependent evolution of the constant-energy trajectory in the phase space. This model has several salient advantages compared to the previous ones. The condensates are isolated from their excitations by a finite gap, thus can greatly suppress the damping effect induced by thermal atoms and Bogoliubov excitations. The oscillation period can be tuned by several orders of magnitude without influencing other parameters. In experiments, the dynamics can be mapped out from spin and momentum spaces, thus it is not limited by the spatial resolution in absorption imaging. This system can serve as a promising platform for matter wave interferometry and quantum metrology.
We review our theoretical advances in quantum tunneling of Bose-Einstein condensates in optical traps and in microcavities. By employing a real physical system, the frequencies of the pseudo Goldstone modes in different phases between two optical traps are studied respectively, which are the crucial feature of the non-Abelian Josephson effect. When the optical lattices are under gravity, we investigate the quantum tunneling in the “Wannier-Stark localization” regime and “Landau-Zener tunneling” regime. We finally get the total decay rate and the rate is valid over the entire range of temperatures. At high temperatures, we show how the decay rate reduces to the appropriate results for the classical thermal activation. At intermediate temperatures, the results of the total decay rate are consistent with the thermally assisted tunneling. At low temperatures, we obtain the pure quantum tunneling ultimately. And we study the alternating-current and direct-current (ac and dc) photonic Josephson effects in two weakly linked microcavities containing ultracold two-level atoms, which allows for direct observation of the effects. This enables new investigations of the effect of many-body physics in strongly coupled atom-cavity systems and provides a strategy for constructing novel interference devices of coherent photons. In addition, we propose the experimental protocols to observe these quantum tunneling of Bose-Einstein condensates.