The experimental realization of 2D Bose gases with a tunable interaction strength is an important challenge for the study of ultracold quantum matter. Here we report on the realization of an optical accordion creating a lattice potential with a spacing that can be dynamically tuned between 11
μm and 2
μm. We show that we can load ultracold
87Rb atoms into a single node of this optical lattice in the large spacing configuration and then decrease nearly adiabatically the spacing to reach a strong harmonic confinement with frequencies larger than
ωz/2π=10kHz. Atoms are trapped in an additional flat-bottom in-plane potential that is shaped with a high resolution. By combining these tools we create custom-shaped uniform 2D Bose gases with tunable confinement along the transverse direction and hence with a tunable interaction strength.
We experimentally realize two-dimensional (2D) single-layer ultracold gases of 87Rb by dynamically tuning the periodicity of a standing wave, known as accordion lattice. In order to load 87Rb Bose–Einstein condensate into single dark fringe node of the blue detuning optical lattice, we reduce the lattice periodicity from 26.7 μm to 3.5 μm with the help of an acousto-optic deflector (AOD) to compress the three-dimensional BEC adiabatically into a flat and uniform quasi-2D single-layer. We describe the experimental procedure of the atoms loading into the accordion lattice in detail and present the characteristics of the quasi-2D ultracold gases. This setup provides an important platform for studying in- and out-of equilibrium physics, phase transition and 2D topological matter.