Ultracold Bose gases under rotation, in lattice potentials, and both
by Schweikhard, Volker, Ph.D., UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER, 2009, 181 pages; 3366637

Abstract:

In the field of ultracold atoms, two major recent research directions have been rapidly rotating Bose-Einstein condensates, and condensates loaded into optical lattice potentials. While past optical lattice work has concentrated largely on the regime of few correlated particles per lattice site, in this thesis the opposite limit of tunnel-coupled arrays of macroscopic condensates—Josephson junction arrays—is studied. Combining such Josephson junction arrays with rapidly rotating BECs yields highly complex quantum fluid systems with many analogies to condensed-matter systems. In particular, optical lattice potentials allow the creation of low-dimensional, or effectively low-dimensional systems. (1) In this thesis, the first rotating two-dimensional optical lattice potential for ultracold atoms was created, which served as a periodic pinning potential for vortices, and induced a structural crossover in the vortex lattice. (2) The Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless superfluid transition was studied in a non-rotating, finite-temperature, two-dimensional array of Josephson junctions. (3) Rapidly rotating BECs were loaded into a one-dimensional optical lattice aligned with the rotation axis. A crossover from a coherent array of Josephson-coupled rotating BECs, to an array of isolated, two-dimensional rotating BECs was observed, and the ensuing vortex lattice fluctuations were studied. (4) Studies of vortex lattices in rotating BECs were extended to two-component BECs, where a self-organization of vortices in the two components into two interlaced square vortex lattices was observed.

 
AdviserEric A. Cornell
SchoolUNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER
SourceDAI/B 70-07, p. , Aug 2009
Source TypeDissertation
SubjectsAtomic physics
Publication Number3366637
Adobe PDF Access the complete dissertation:
 

» Find an electronic copy at your library.
  Use the link below to access a full citation record of this graduate work:
  http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl%3furl_ver=Z39.88-2004%26res_dat=xri:pqdiss%26rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation%26rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3366637
  If your library subscribes to the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database, you may be entitled to a free electronic version of this graduate work. If not, you will have the option to purchase one, and access a 24 page preview for free (if available).

About ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
With over 2.3 million records, the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database is the most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses in the world. It is the database of record for graduate research.

The database includes citations of graduate works ranging from the first U.S. dissertation, accepted in 1861, to those accepted as recently as last semester. Of the 2.3 million graduate works included in the database, ProQuest offers more than 1.9 million in full text formats. Of those, over 860,000 are available in PDF format. More than 60,000 dissertations and theses are added to the database each year.

If you have questions, please feel free to visit the ProQuest Web site - http://www.proquest.com - or call ProQuest Hotline Customer Support at 1-800-521-3042.