We show that strong inelastic interactions between bosons in one dimension create a Tonks-Girardeau gas, much as in the case of elastic interactions. We derive a Markovian master equation that describes the loss caused by the inelastic collisions. This yields a loss rate equation and a dissipative Lieb-Liniger model for short times. We obtain an analytic expression for the pair correlation function in the limit of strong dissipation. Numerical calculations show how a diverging dissipation strength leads to a vanishing of the actual loss rate and renders an additional elastic part of the interaction irrelevant.

Strongly correlated states in many-body systems are traditionally created using elastic interparticle interactions. Here we show that inelastic interactions between particles can also drive a system into the strongly correlated regime. This is shown by an experimental realization of a specific strongly correlated system, namely a one-dimensional molecular Tonks-Girardeau gas.

We present a theoretical investigation of a lattice Tonks–Girardeau gas that is created by inelastic, instead of elastic interactions. An analytical calculation shows that in the limit of strong two-body losses, the dynamics of the system is effectively that of a hard-core boson gas. We also derive an analytic expression for the effective loss rate. We find good agreement between these analytical results and results from a rigorous numerical calculation. The hard-core character of the particles is visible both in a reduced effective loss rate and in the momentum distribution of the gas.

Atomic quantum gases in the strong-correlation regime offer unique possibilities to explore a variety of many-body quantum phenomena. Reaching this regime has usually required both strong elastic and weak inelastic interactions because the latter produce losses. We show that strong inelastic collisions can actually inhibit particle losses and drive a system into a strongly correlated regime. Studying the dynamics of ultracold molecules in an optical lattice confined to one dimension, we show that the particle loss rate is reduced by a factor of 10. Adding a lattice along the one dimension increases the reduction to a factor of 2000. Our results open the possibility to observe exotic quantum many-body phenomena with systems that suffer from strong inelastic collisions.

We observe large-amplitude Rabi oscillations between an atomic and a molecular state near a Feshbach resonance. The experiment uses 87Rb in an optical lattice and a Feshbach resonance near 414 G. The frequency and amplitude of the oscillations depend on the magnetic field in a way that is well described by a two-level model. The observed density dependence of the oscillation frequency agrees with theoretical expectations. We confirmed that the state produced after a half-cycle contains exactly one molecule at each lattice site. In addition, we show that, for energies in a gap of the lattice band structure, the molecules cannot dissociate.

Ultracold gases in optical lattices are of great interest, because these systems bear a great potential for applications in quantum simulations and quantum information processing, in particular when using particles with a long-range dipole-dipole interaction, such as polar molecules. In an previous paper, the authors showed the preparation of a Mott-like state of molecules. The molecules are produced from an atomic Mott insulator with a density profile chosen such that the central region of the gas contains two atoms per lattice site. A Feshbach resonance is used to associate the atom pairs to molecules. Remaining atoms can be removed with laser light. In this paper, the transport properties in the Mott-like state is studied. A molecule can tunnel with an amplitude Jm to an adjacent site. If there is already another molecule at that site the molecules can collide inelastically, leading to loss of both molecules from the sample. This loss occurs with a rate coefficient Gamma which is typically much faster than Jm/planck. The fast on-site loss leads to a suppression of tunneling. Loss from the initial state effectively occurs with a rate Gammaeff prop Jm 2/Gamma . This effect is studied experimentally at different lattice depths and the results are compared with theoretical predictions.

We prepare a quantum state where each site of an optical lattice is occupied by exactly one molecule. This is the same quantum state as in a Mott insulator of molecules in the limit of negligible tunneling. Unlike previous Mott insulators, our system consists of molecules which can collide inelastically. In the absence of the optical lattice these collisions would lead to fast loss of the molecules from the sample. To prepare the state, we start from a Mott insulator of atomic 87 Rb with a central region, where each lattice site is occupied by exactly two atoms. We then associate molecules using a Feshbach resonance. Remaining atoms can be removed using blast light. Our method does not rely on the molecule-molecule interaction properties and is therefore applicable to many systems. A variety of interesting proposals for quantum information processing and quantum simulations [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] require as a prerequisite a quantum state of ultracold polar molecules in an optical lattice, where each lattice site is occupied by exactly one molecule. A promising strategy for the creation of such molecules is based on association of ultracold atoms using a or photoassociation and subsequent transfer to a much lower ro-vibrational level using Ra-man transitions [14]. If the molecule-molecule interactions are predominantly elastic and effectively repulsive, then a state with one molecule per lattice site can finally be obtained using a quantum phase transition from a superfluid to a Mott insulator by ramping up the depth of an optical lattice [15]. However, many molecular species do not have such convenient interaction properties, so that alternative strategies are needed. Here, we demonstrate a technique that is independent of the molecule-molecule interaction properties. The technique relies on first forming an atomic Mott insulator and then associating molecules. Several previous experiments [16, 17, 18, 19, 20] associated molecules in an optical lattice, but none of them demonstrated the production of a quantum state with exactly one molecule per lattice site. Another interesting perspective of the state prepared here is that after Raman transitions to the ro-vibrational ground state, one could lower the lattice potential and obtain a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of molecules in the ro-vibrational ground-state [21, 22]. Central results of our work were previously reported in Ref. [23]. The experiment begins with the creation of a BEC of 87 Rb atoms in a magnetic trap [24]. Once created, the BEC is transferred …

We prepare a quantum state where each site of an optical lattice is occupied by exactly one molecule. This is the same quantum state as in a Mott insulator of molecules in the limit of negligible tunneling. Unlike previous Mott insulators, our system consists of molecules which can collide inelastically. In the absence of the optical lattice these collisions would lead to fast loss of the molecules from the sample. To prepare the state, we start from a Mott insulator of atomic 87Rb with a central region, where each lattice site is occupied by exactly two atoms. We then associate molecules using a Feshbach resonance. Remaining atoms can be removed using blast light. Our method does not rely on the molecule-molecule interaction properties and is therefore applicable to many systems.

Ultracold gases in optical lattices are of great interest, because these systems bear great potential for applications in quantum simulations and quantum information processing, in particular when using particles with a long-range dipole–dipole interaction, such as polar molecules1,2,3,4,5. Here we show the preparation of a quantum state with exactly one molecule at each site of an optical lattice. The molecules are produced from an atomic Mott insulator6 with a density profile chosen such that the central region of the gas contains two atoms per lattice site. A Feshbach resonance is used to associate the atom pairs to molecules7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14. The remaining atoms can be removed with blast light13,15. The technique does not rely on the molecule–molecule interaction properties and is therefore applicable to many systems.

Journal Article The Shape of Baym’s Career Get access Dale M. Bauer Dale M. Bauer Professor of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar American Literary History, Volume 17, Issue 4, Winter 2005, Pages 646–652, https://doi.org/10.1093/alh/aji039 Published: 01 December 2005