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arXiv:cond-mat/0703322 · Physical Review A

Heteronuclear molecules in an optical lattice: Theory and experiment

F. Deuretzbacher, K. Plassmeier, Daniela Pfannkuche, F. Werner, C. Ospelkaus, Silke Ospelkaus, K. Sengstock, Kai Bongs

Published Mar 31, 2008• 46 citations
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Abstract

We study properties of two different atoms at a single optical lattice site at a heteronuclear atomic Feshbach resonance. We calculate the energy spectrum, the efficiency of rf association, and the lifetime as a function of magnetic field and compare the results with the experimental data obtained for $^{40}\text{K}$ and $^{87}\text{R}\text{b}$ [C. Ospelkaus et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 120402 (2006)]. We treat the interaction in terms of a regularized $\ensuremath{\delta}$ function pseudopotential and consider the general case of particles with different trap frequencies, where the usual approach of separating center-of-mass and relative motion fails. We develop an exact diagonalization approach to the coupling between center-of-mass and relative motion and numerically determine the spectrum of the system. At the same time, our approach allows us to treat the anharmonicity of the lattice potential exactly. Within the pseudopotential model, the center of the Feshbach resonance can be precisely determined from the experimental data.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.77.032726

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We study properties of two different atoms at a single optical lattice site at a heteronuclear atomic Feshbach resonance. We calculate the energy spectrum, the efficiency of rf association, and the lifetime as a function of magnetic field and compare the results with the experimental data obtained for 40K^{40}\text{K}40K and 87Rb^{87}\text{R}\text{b}87Rb [C. Ospelkaus et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 120402 (2006)]. We treat the interaction in terms of a regularized \ensuremathδ\ensuremath{\delta}\ensuremathδ function pseudopotential and consider the general case of particles with different trap frequencies, where the usual approach of separating center-of-mass and relative motion fails. We develop an exact diagonalization approach to the coupling between center-of-mass and relative motion and numerically determine the spectrum of the system. At the same time, our approach allows us to treat the anharmonicity of the lattice potential exactly. Within the pseudopotential model, the center of the Feshbach resonance can be precisely determined from the experimental data.
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We report on the creation of ultracold heteronuclear molecules assembled from fermionic 40K and bosonic 87Rb atoms in a 3D optical lattice. Molecules are produced at a heteronuclear Feshbach resonance on both the attractive and the repulsive sides of the resonance. We precisely determine the binding energy of the heteronuclear molecules from rf spectroscopy across the Feshbach resonance. We characterize the lifetime of the molecular sample as a function of magnetic field and measure lifetimes between 20 and 120 ms. The efficiency of molecule creation via rf association is measured and is found to decrease as expected for more deeply bound molecules.
To test effective Hamiltonians for strongly interacting fermions in an optical lattice, we numerically find the energy spectrum for two fermions interacting across a Feshbach resonance in a double-well potential. From the spectrum, we determine the range of detunings for which the system can be described by an effective lattice model, and how the model parameters are related to the experimental parameters. We find that for a range of strong interactions the system is well described by an effective ttt-JJJ model, and the effective superexchange term, JJJ, can be smoothly tuned through zero on either side of unitarity. Right at and around unitarity, an effective one-band general Hubbard model is appropriate, with a finite and small onsite energy, due to a lattice-induced anharmonic coupling between atoms at the scattering threshold and a weakly bound Feshbach molecule in an excited center-of-mass state.
This PhD tutorial article is a review of our experiments on heteronuclear quantum gas mixtures at the University of Hamburg. We introduce basic properties of trapped Fermi-Bose mixtures and demonstrate the achievement of large quantum degenerate mixtures of 40K and 87Rb. Using heteronuclear Feshbach resonances, we show how the heteronuclear interaction can be tuned, allowing us to induce phase separation and collapse for large repulsive and attractive interactions, respectively. We realize Fermi-Bose mixtures in 3D optical lattices as a novel quantum many-body system and study coherence properties of the mixture. Combining our experiments on lattices and Feshbach resonances, we present the first realization of ultracold heteronuclear Feshbach molecules. The molecules are created at individual sites of a 3D optical lattice. We discuss lifetime, binding energy and rf association efficiency in terms of a universal model and give an outlook for possible future developments.
We propose an easy to use model to solve for interacting atoms in an optical lattice. This model allows for the whole range of weakly to strongly interacting atoms, and it includes the coupling between relative and center-of-mass motion via anharmonic lattice terms. We apply this model to a high-precision spin dynamics experiment, and we discuss the corrections due to atomic interactions and the anharmonic coupling. Under suitable experimental conditions, energy can be transferred between the relative and center-of-mass motion, and this allows for creation of Feshbach molecules in excited lattice bands.
We propose an easy to use model for interacting atoms in an optical lattice. This model allows for the whole range of weakly to strongly interacting atoms, and it includes the coupling between relative and center-of-mass motions via anharmonic lattice terms. We apply this model to a high-precision spin-dynamics experiment, and we discuss the corrections due to atomic interactions and the anharmonic coupling. Under suitable experimental conditions, energy can be transferred between the relative and center-of-mass motions, and this allows for creation of Feshbach molecules in excited lattice bands.