Strongly-interacting Fermions in an Optical Latticeby

Jit Kee Chin
B.S., Physics (2001)
California Institute of Technology
Submitted to the Department of Physics
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree ofDoctor of Philosophy
at theMASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
August 2007
c Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2007. All rights reserved.

Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Department of Physics
August, 2007

Certified by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wolfgang Ketterle
John D. MacAurthur Professor of Physics
Thesis Supervisor

Accepted by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Thomas J. Greytak
Professor of Physics, Associate Department Head for Education

Strongly-interacting Fermions in an Optical Latticeby
Jit Kee Chin
Submitted to the Department of Physics
on August, 2007, in partial fulfillment of therequirements for the degree ofDoctor of Philosophy

Abstract
Two sets of studies are described in this thesis. The first describes studies conductedwith sodium Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) while the second focuses on the pairing offermionic lithium-6 pairs in an optical lattice within the strongly interacting BEC-BCS
regime. Common to both sets of studies is the use of a magnetically tunable Feshbachresonance to manipulate interactions between the atoms.
In the first experiment, we destabilize a sodium BEC by switching its interactions from
repulsive to attractive and studied the resulting dynamics. A local amplification of low momentum energetic instabilities was observed and the measured rate of amplification agreed
well with theoretical predictions. For large condensates, this process depleted the condensate faster than the global inward collapse.
Subsequently, I describe the major construction effort that was undertaken to convert
our BEC machine to a two-species machine capable of cooling fermionic lithium-6. Uponits completion, we obtained a resonance superfluid of loosely bound 6 Li pairs in the BECBCS crossover. When placed in a shallow optical lattice, long range phase coherence of
this resonance superfluid was inferred from the presence of sharp interference peaks after
ballistic expansion. With this observation we have obtained the first evidence of superfluidity of fermions in an optical lattice. A loss in phase coherence occurred when the lattice
depth was increased past a critical value, possibly signaling a transition to an insulatingstate. Further preliminary explorations of this novel system is described followed by an
outline of its potential for studying condensed matter phenomena like high temperature
superconductivity.
Thesis Supervisor: Wolfgang Ketterle
Title: John D. MacAurthur Professor of Physics

To my father
the original Dr. Chinand my mother,
who reared two more

And to my sister, who laughed at us allAcknowledgments
I am deeply grateful to my advisor, Wolfgang Ketterle, for having faith in me and givingme the opportunity to work in his lab. His boundless optimism throughout my PhD was areliable beacon that always illuminated the way forward, even when things seemed grim. I
am also grateful to Dave Pritchard, who was a second unofficial authority in the hallway,
and who was always willing to listen.
Thanks to those who preceded me in lab and showed me the ropes - Johnny Vogels,
Takashi Mukaiyama, Jamil Abo-Shaeer and Kaiwen Xu. In particular, Johnny Vogels wasa very generous mentor. Thanks also to Claudiu Stan, who taught me how to appreciate
all things mechanical. Together, we started the machine conversion that enabled my thesis
work. I am forever grateful for his endless patience and pedagogy, and for his timely
friendship.
Dan Miller was always capable of putting lab life in its proper perspective, constantly
leavening it with comic antics. His ”outside-the-box”, yet critical thinking was invaluable
to the lab’s progress, and his wisdom kept the lab cohesive. Together with Yingmei Liu,
whose efforts in lab inspired us all to work harder, the three of us shared the thrills andsatisfaction of chasing down the fast moving frontier of cutting edge research. When laser
followed by vacuum followed by power supply followed by slower coil windings took theirturn to test our experimental capabilities, we would look at each other, shrug, swill beer at
the Miracle before rolling up our sleeves and getting down to business. Bonds forged undersuch conditions are not forgotten easily. Also not easily forgotten are the practical jokes,
Google Earth, the Daily Show and late night 7-eleven runs. Widagdo (Weebs) Setiawan
was the fourth Musketeer, not quite full time in the lab, but his presence was nonethelessdeeply felt. His inquiring mind kept us on our toes, and his infatuation with all things
digital kept us well-supplied with computers.
Christian Sanner joined two years ago, and the lab has been richer in serenity ever since.
Wiser than his years, he took over the running of the lab with quiet efficiency. I particularly
admire his fine tastes in movies, and his ability to make sense of the most obscure electronic
problems. Aviv Keshet, followed by Ed Su joined the lab in subsequent years, and I’ve
enjoyed working with them both. With Aviv around, I have no doubt the reservoir of lab
humor will never run dry. Thanks Aviv, for the elephant.
For the first few years of my doctorate, Carol Costa was a motherly and caring figurein the hallway who could solve any administrative problem we brought her. Though she
is no longer with us, her memory remains. Other friendly faces in the hallway provided
both a community and technical assistance when necessary and include members of boththe Ketterle and Vuletic group. Christian Schunck could always be relied on for a sunnysmile, and was never too busy to lend a hand. Tom Pasquini made sure we all had healthinsurance, and with whom I shared many a coffee and reflections on grad school while wewere both writing up. Also Marko Cetina and Monika Schleier-Smith - one enriched mycultural paucity, the other my health. Elsewhere, the women in physics group at MIT wasthe conduit for many a friendship - in particular Michelle Povinelli and Bonna Newman.
Outside the lab, I happily whiled away the bulk of my twenties with a bunch of exceptional people: my roommates - Hui, Caroline and later Maylee; the longtime inhabitants ofHurley Mansion - Victor, Matteo and Cornelius. Also Seb, Raf, Manu and Eva. The ladies
Julija, Aidita, and Neema. The refuge across the river and its occupants - Mirko, Natasa
and Gojko. ECF 2007 - you know who you are. I am richer for the long summer evenings
spent on an old wooden deck in Cambridgeport, a perfect road trip to Acadia, endlessparties (with table) in an even older apartment in East Cambridge, the Green St Girls,
learning about and cheering all events sporting, one rainy Christmas in London, getting
lost in Ixtapaluca, Mexico and smoke-wreathed evenings engaging in speculation without
reason, And I shall not forget my old friends Sam, Kathryn, Derrick, Ushma, Ania andRick, who saw me off to grad school a long time ago with all their best wishes and good
cheer. Here at the finish, I am glad to report that their blessings have been effective.
Unique amongst them all is Zoran Hadzibabic. He has been with me all these intense years, gifting me with priceless laughter and never-ending conversations. Through his
looking-glass, I glimpsed a life less ordinary, but well worth living. I shall always cherish
this vision.
Finally, this thesis is dedicated to my family. My father set me down this path before
I ever knew that a future lurked behind the next transitory excitement, and he shepherds
me still. However, nothing would have worked without my mother, with her discipline andunconditional love. My sister and brother-in-law kept me from starving over the past six
years, and tolerated my shenanigans with long-suffering sighs. It’s meant a lot for me to getknow my sister again, after spending our teenage years far apart. My brother has grown up
mostly out of sight, but his infectious grin and perky emails were like zephyrs from home,always cheering me up and always reminding me from whence I came.

This work was supported by the Army Research Office (ARO), the Defense advanced
Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Office of Naval Research (ONR).

Contents
1 Introduction

13

1.1

The allure of high temperature superconductors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

13

1.2

Of bosons and fermions... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

14

1.3

...and everything in-between . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16

1.4

Optical lattices, low dimensions and the cuprates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17

1.5

Outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

18

2 Feshbach Resonances
2.1

2.2

20

What is a Feshbach Resonance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20

2.1.1

The open channel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20

2.1.2

The closed channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

23

Manipulating Interatomic Interactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

24

2.2.1

Electromagnet configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

24

2.2.2

Stabilization of Feshbach fields (23 Na ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

25

2.2.3

Stabilization of Feshbach fields (6 Li ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

28

3 Bose Einstein Condensates with Attractive Interactions

32

3.1

Mean-Field Interactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

33

3.2

Steady-state Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

33

3.3

Dynamics - Local Amplification of Instabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

34

3.3.1

Bogoliubov theory of elementary excitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

34

3.3.2

Qualitative predictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

35

Experiment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

36

3.4.1

Mode selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

36

3.4.2

Direct determination of scattering length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

38

3.4.3

Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

38

Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

38

3.5.1

Seeding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

40

3.5.2

Quantum Depletion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

40

3.4

3.5

6

3.5.3Contribution to condensate decay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 Quantum Degenerate Fermions
4.1

4.2

42

Non-interacting spin-polarized gas of fermions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

42

4.1.1

Zero temperature description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

42

4.1.2

Finite temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

43

4.1.3

Time of flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

44Interacting two-component fermions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

44

4.2.1

Weak attractive interactions - BCS state . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

45

4.2.2

Strong interactions - Unitarity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

45

5 Experimental Setup for cooling 6 Li
5.1

5.2
5.3

5.4

41

47

Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

47

5.1.1

Power and Frequency Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

47

5.1.2

Possible laser systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

48

5.1.3

Final choice - Dye laser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

49

5.1.4

Frequency generation scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

51

Vacuum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

53

5.2.1

53

Baking out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Cooling of fermionic 6 Li

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

53

5.3.1

Sympathetic cooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

55

5.3.2

Cooling near a Feshbach resonance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

58

5.3.3

6 Li

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

61. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

61

2 pair condensate

Fitting formulas

6 Effects of Strong Interactions

65

6.1

The Nature of 6 Li Pairs near the Feshbach resonance . . . . . . . . . . . . .

65

6.2

Collisions in Unitarity-Limited Fermi Superfluids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

67

6.2.1

Collisions in a two-component Fermi gas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

67

6.2.2

Collisions in a BEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

68

Solving the collision problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

70

6.3.1

Magnetic field ramp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

70

6.3.2

Kapitza Dirac scattering at different kF a’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

71

6.3.3

Collisional product? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

72

6.3.4

Interpretation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

72

Necessity of rapid field ramps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

72

6.3

6.4

7

7 Paired fermions in an Optical Lattice

73

7.1

The Promise of Optical Lattices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

73

7.2

Optical Lattices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

74

7.2.1

Non-interacting systems in optical lattices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

74

7.2.2

The single-band Hubbard model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

77

Experiments with Strongly Interacting Fermions in Optical Lattices . . . .

79

7.3.1

Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

79

7.3.2

Definition of quantities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

84

7.3

7.4

7.5

Superfluidity of 6 Li

2 in Shallow Lattices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

85

7.4.1

Phase coherence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

86

7.4.2

Density profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

88

Loss of Superfluidity in Deep Lattices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

89

7.5.1

Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

89

7.5.2

Superfluid-Insulator Transition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

90

8 Explorations

94

8.1

Radio-frequency spectroscopy of 6 Li

8.2

6 Li

8.3

2 pairs in an optical lattice. . . . . . .

94

2 pairs in two dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

98

8.2.1

Phase coherence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

98

8.2.2

Modification of scattering properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

100

8.2.3

A new setup for two-dimensional studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

101

6 Li

2 pairs in one dimension

8.3.1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

101

Possible setup for seeking the FFLO state in one dimension . . . . .

102

9 Conclusion

103

9.1

Final thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

103

9.2

Future challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

103

9.2.1

Accessing the repulsive branch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

103

9.2.2

Thermometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

104

9.2.3

Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

104

A Amplification of Local Instabilities in a Bose-Einstein Condensate with
Attractive Interactions

105

B Bogoliubov calculations

110

C Formation of Quantum-Degenerate Sodium Molecules

112

D Experimental Setup

117

8

E Evidence for Superfluidity of Ultracold Fermions in an Optical Lattice 121
F Critical Velocity of a Superfluid Fermi Gas in the BEC-BCS crossover 126
Bibliography

131

9

List of Figures
1-1 Quantum gases through the ages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16

1-2 Crystal lattice of a high Tc superconductor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

18

2-1 Feshbach resonance schematic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

21

2-2 s-wave scattering length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

22

2-3 Magnetic Trap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

26

2-4 Magnetic field stabilization for 23 Na Feshbach work using shunt currents. .

27

2-5

Magnetic field stabilization for 23 Na Feshbach work using shunt and total
current control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

28

2-6 Transient response of the Feshbach coils under different stabilization schemes 29
2-7 Dynamic control of the Feshbach current for 6 Li Feshbach resonance . . . .

30

3-1 Dispersion relation for different signs of the interaction energy U . . . . . .

36

3-2 Theoretical and experimental schematic of two photon Bragg scattering . .

37

3-3 Signature of quantum evaporation amplification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

37

3-4 Stabilization of a condensate with a < 0 using a blue-detuned laser . . . . .

39

3-5 Observation of quantum evaporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

39

3-6 The effect of quantum depletion on quantum evaporation . . . . . . . . . .

41

5-1 Energy levels and lasing lines of Nd:YAG crystal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

50

5-2

6 Li energy levels and the relative detunings of the light required for laser

cooling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

51

Light frequency generation for 6 Li trapping and cooling. . . . . . . . . . .

52

5-4 Pressure log of our vacuum system during bakeout . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

54

5-5

Magneto-optically trapped 6 Li atoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

55

5-6

Sympathetic cooling of 6 Li by 23 Na

56

5-3

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-7 Microwave evaporation and condensation of 23 Na atoms in the F=2 hyperfine
state . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

57

Quantum degenerate Fermi sea of spin-polarized 6 Li

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

59

5-9 Level structure for 6 Li at high magnetic fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

60

5-8

10

5-10 Bose-Einstein condensate of 6 Li molecules. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

62

5-11 Lifetime of pairs in the crossed-dipole trap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

63

6-1 Binding energy dependence on detuning near a Feshbach resonance . . . . .

66

6-2 Collisions in a two-component Fermi gas in momentum space . . . . . . . .

68

6-3 The effect of strong interactions on ballistic expansion . . . . . . . . . . . .

69

6-4 Magnetic Field Ramp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

70

6-5 Visibility of distinct momentum peaks for different kF a . . . . . . . . . . .

71

7-1 Dispersion relation of an optical lattice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

76

7-2 Phase diagram for repulsive interactions in an optical lattice . . . . . . . . .

78

7-3 Antiferromagnetic ordering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

79

7-4 Geometry of the crossed dipole trap and optical lattice . . . . . . . . . . . .

80

7-5 Switch off procedure for strongly interacting fermions in an optical lattice .

81

7-6 Decay of bimodal signature for high densities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

83

7-7 Interference fringes of 6 Li pairs from a three-dimensional optical lattice

. .

86

7-8 Density profile of interference peaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

88

7-9 Loss of phase coherence in deep lattices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

89

7-10 Time needed for recoherence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

90

7-11 Alternative definition of visibility of the interference peaks . . . . . . . . . .

91

7-12 Visibility of the interference peaks as a function of lattice depth and interaction parameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

91

7-13 Tunneling and interaction energy vs. lattice depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

92

7-14 Different types of insulators from the BEC to the BCS limit. . . . . . . . .

93

8-1 s-wave Feshbach resonances of 6 Li in the lowest 3 states . . . . . . . . . . .

95

8-2 Binding energy of two atoms in a harmonic potential near a Feshbach resonance 96
8-3 Radio-frequency spectra for 6 Li investigating binding energy . . . . . . . . .

97

8-4 Low dimensional systems in optical lattices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

98

8-5 Loss of phase coherence in a 1 D lattice with aL = 532nm . . . . . . . . . .

99

8-6 Loss of phase coherence in a 1 D lattice with aL = 752nm . . . . . . . . . .

100

D-1 Schematic of the new BEC II machine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

118

D-2 Wiring of the various coils used for magnetic trapping and Feshbach fields.

119

D-3

Layout of the laser table for 6 Li experiment

11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

120

List of Tables
2.1

s-wave Feshbach resonances for 23 Na and 6 Li . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

25

5.1

Power requirements for a 6 Li laser source. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

48

12

Chapter 1

Introduction
1.1

The allure of high temperature superconductors

Nothing better illustrates how deeply a scientific concept has penetrated the popular imagination than its ubiquitous presence in science fiction. Superconductivity is one such concept- its history is littered with Nobel prizes and Hugo awards alike. A superconductor supports
current flow without dissipation, wasting no energy in the form of heat. This conceptual
simplicity and its rich technological possibilities lends itself easily to futuristic visions of theworld and emphasizes its potential applications.
In fiction, temperature is often a conveniently ignored detail. In reality, the first transition to the superconducting state was observed by Kamerlingh Onnes to happen in mercury
at Tc = 4.2 K in 1911, for which he was awarded the Nobel prize in 1913. This was far too
low for practical applications and for many decades, known Tc ’s stayed below 23 K. Fast
forward to 1986, when Bednorz and Mueller [1] discovered high temperature superconductivity in a ceramic cuprate material with Tc = 35 K, and its significance was immediately
acknowledged by a Nobel prize in 1987. Shortly thereafter, a similar material with Tc = 92
K was found, attaining an important practical milestone: cooling can now be done cheaplywith liquid nitrogen at 77 K. The highest transition temperatures of these ”high Tc” superconductors climbed quickly in the following decades, to stand now at 138 K. Clearly,
another important milestone would be reached if a room temperature superconductor were
to be discovered or constructed.
Yet to this day, the theory of high Tc stands incomplete. The complexity of real condensed matter systems makes them difficult to treat theoretically, yet without a good understanding, the search for ever higher Tc can only proceed through trial and error. Lately
however, a new frontier has opened up - if we begin thinking about generalized charge carriers and artificial crystals, fresh angles with which to attack the problem began to appear.
Enter cold gases.

13

1.2

Of bosons and fermions...

When Bose and Einstein first demonstrated in 1924 that non-interacting, indistinguishable
bosons could condense into the same quantum state [2, 3], it had merely been an idealized exercise in statistical mechanics and no one suspected the far-reaching ramifications.
Everyone knew that electrons - the charge-carrying particles - were fermions and therefore
forbidden to occupy the same quantum state. This made them ineligible for Bose condensation. It wasn’t until 1935 that Fritz London linked superconductivity to Bose-Einsteincondensation [4] .
The difference between bosons and fermions can be related to a simple sign change inthe exchange symmetry of the wavefunction. If two particles A and B are identical, thenthe probability of finding particle A in state 1 and particle B in state 2 has to be equal tothe probability of the converse. Their wavefunctions obey
|ψ(a1 , b2 )|2 = |ψ(b1 , a2 )|2(1.1)⇒ ψ(a1 , b2 ) = ±ψ(b1 , a2 )(1.2)

By stipulating indistinguishability, all particles are grouped into two classes: bosons (plussign) and fermions (minus sign). From quantum field theory, the fundamental property thatis responsible for this difference in the exchange properties was identified as spin - bosons
have integer spin, while fermions have half-integer spin. This gives rise to an additional
constraint for fermions. Following eq. 1.2, the situation where two fermions occupies thesame state implies
ψ(a1 , b1 ) = −ψ(a1 , b1 )⇒ ψ(a1 , b1 ) = 0

(1.3)
(1.4)

Clearly, this is forbidden. This is known as the Pauli exclusion principle and it underpins
the behavior of all matter, ranging from the everyday observation that matter occupies
space, to the periodic table structure of elements.
However, if there exists many more accessible states than there are fermions or bosons,the difference in their quantum statistics would not manifest itself. Which is why in our
everyday experience, both kinds of particles behave classically. It is not until the numberof energetically available states become comparable to the number of particles do we begin
to discern a difference and enter quantum degeneracy.

14

Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC)
For bosons, no constraint against occupying the same state exists and at zero temperaturelarge numbers of particles do end up in the ground state of the system. In other words, at
low temperatures the wavefunctions of particles begin to overlap and the particles are nolonger separable. The temperature at which this phase transition occurs can be estimatedhby setting the spatial extent of the particle’s wavefunction λdB = √2πmk, to be equal toTBthe interparticle spacing n−1/3 . This givesTc ∼2πh̄2 2/3
n
kB m

(1.5)

In other words, these bosons have become degenerate and are considered ”condensed”.
The observation of Bose-Einstein condensation of dilute atomic gases in 1995 [5, 6]
was preceded by breakthroughs in laser cooling of atoms and heralded a new era in the
research of cold gases. The promise of atomic systems lay in its simplicity - compared
to traditional condensed matter systems, dilute gases were simpler to model and easier tocontrol. Interactions were typically weak and easily incorporated as a perturbation. In
addition, they opened up previously inaccessible parameter space, providing a new way of
testing the validity of various theories.
Bardeen, Cooper and Schrieffer (BCS)
Due to Pauli exclusion, quantum degeneracy of ideal fermions at zero temperature manifests
itself differently. As temperature is lowered, they will successively fill each available state
beginning from the ground state, until all the fermions are accommodated. The highest
filled level is known as the Fermi energy EF , which depends only on the density of states
and the number of fermions. Unlike the situation for bosons, the transition into quantum
degeneracy is smooth for ideal fermions and a good way of measuring degeneracy is to define
the relative ”coldness” temperature T /TF , where TF = EF /kB .
The situation becomes much more interesting once we consider interactions. Fermions
are unstable at T = 0 against the addition of the slightest attractive interactions, preferring
to pair to lower their energy. This is the famous Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer state, named
after they who first wrote down its wavefunction. In this state, the pairing is weak and longrange, with the attractive interaction provided by the crystal lattice vibrations.
Driven by an interest in simulating real materials, efforts to cool fermions to quantum
degeneracy began soon after the successful condensation of bosons. Fermions are inherently
harder to cool than bosons, since the Pauli exclusion principle meant that interactions
between identical fermions could not be exploited for cooling purposes. However, thisrestriction can be lifted by either using bosons as a ’refrigerant’, or by cooling non-identical

15

BEC

Quantum
Degenerate
Fermi Gas

Resonance
Superfluid

BCS pairing
+k

-k

Past

Present

FutureFigure 1-1: In 1995 and 1999, quantum degeneracy of ultracold Bose and Fermi gases
was achieved, strikingly demonstrating the difference in quantum statistics between thetwo kinds of particles. Further innovations in fermion cooling led to the achievement of a”resonance superfluid” in 2003, comprising of fermions paired up at intermediate distances(see text). The goal of the future is to observe long range BCS pairing, where fermionsclose to the Fermi surface are correlated in momentum space, and to obtain insight into
superconductivity.

fermions together. Using the latter method, a quantum degenerate Fermi gas was observedin 1999 [7] by using fermions in two different states.

1.3...and everything in-between

While neutrons, electrons and protons are all fermions with spin 1/2, two fermions tightly
bound together behaves like a boson. Therefore what determines whether any given atom
ends up as depends on the sum of its constituents particles - odds fermions, even bosons.
All atomic bosons are fermionic composites. The fermions are so tightly bound together
that their individual behavior is irrelevant when viewed from a distance. This suggests thatthe barrier between the two classes of particles is not insurmountable. If two fermions canbe persuaded to pair, we recover the physics of bosons. Cooper pairs of fermions correlated
in momentum space which can bose-condense is an example of bose-fermi physics.

16

BEC-BCS crossover
One can imagine how in the limit of extremely high density, the slightest attraction between
fermions would result in pairing [8]. In practice, it is easier to keep density constant and vary
the strength of the attraction, induced by bringing in a two-body bound state (Feshbachresonance, see Chapter 2). Then there exists a smooth crossover between tightly boundmolecules and long-range Cooper pairs [9], and in 2003, the first experiments within thiscrossover were reported [10, 11, 12, 13, 14]. Performed in the intermediate regime where themolecular size was on par with the interparticle spacing, these experiments highlighted thedual nature of particles within the crossover, where neither pure bosonic or fermionic physics
was sufficient for complete understanding. Fermion pairs could condense, both where a true
two-body bound state existed [10, 11, 12], and where it did not [13, 14], yet in both cases,
the levels of the harmonic trap would be filled up to the Fermi surface.

1.4

Optical lattices, low dimensions and the cuprates

Thus stands the complicated story of bosons and fermions. There is much to understand andinvestigation is ongoing, but new challenges arise. Having created a resonance superfluid inbulk phase, we now ask how its behavior changes when placed in a non-trivial environment.
That the environment is crucial in determining the physics of ultracold atoms is notnew. In BEC’s, a simple harmonic trap confining the atoms modifies the density of states
sufficiently to allow for condensation in two-dimensions where none was possible before[15, 16]. In one-dimension, a lineup of bosons where hopping across particles is not allowed
results in the system taking on fermionic characteristics (Tonks gas) [17]. One of the moststartling work comes from loading bosons in a periodic potential, and observing self-orderingof the atoms from a superfluid to an insulating state [18].
The idea is to model as closely as possible the situation in the superconducting cuprates,
where square crystal lattices in two-dimensions are weakly linked together (Fig. 1-2). It
is suspected that the mechanism that gives rise to their high transition temperature isdependent on its crystal structure. In atomic physics, nearly perfect periodic structures ofmany different geometries may be engineered through clever interference of light. By placing
cold fermions within these structures, we reproduce the physics of electrons in a crystal,with the added advantage of having tunable effective inter-and intra-well interactions. This,
combined with the new parameter space and observation tools that this system makes
available, explains its widespread appeal. Through its study, we hope to move closer to thelong-term goal of not only understanding, but perhaps also engineering a room-temperature
superconductor.

17

Figure 1-2: Crystal structure of a high Tc superconductor.

1.5

OutlineThis thesis is comprised of two sections. The first section chronicles my apprenticeship in
the techniques of manipulating ultracold gases and consists of experiments performed usingbosons. The second section is the main focus of this thesis, documenting our efforts to build
an apparatus capable of reaching the current frontier in ultracold fermion research, followed
by a series of experiments on resonance superfluids in an optical lattice.
Chapter 2 gives an overview of the Feshbach resonance, an anomaly in the scattering
properties that we use to tune interatomic interactions and a common theme of all theexperiments documented in this thesis. Here I also give the technical details of manipulating and improving our magnetic field stability, which was necessary for working within theresonance. Chapter 3 describes how a Feshbach resonance is used to destabilize a sodium
BEC by switching its interactions from repulsive to attractive, and documents one mechanism that contributes to the resulting condensate decay (publication reprinted in Appendix
A). Not elaborated upon here is the subsequent series of experiments on sodium molecules
formed near another Feshbach resonance [19, 20, 21], where the improved field control playeda crucial role. Full descriptions are provided in the theses of Jamil Abo-Shaeer [22] andKaiwen Xu [23], and the first of these publications are attached in Appendix C.
The latter half describes our progress in the much less well-understood regime of stronglyinteracting, quantum degenerate fermions confined in optical lattices. The optical lattice
setup was first set up to study the behavior of bosonic sodium in a periodic potential [24, 25],
before we decided to use it to study fermions instead. Chapter 4 gives a brief theoretical
overview of fermi physics, and Chapter 5 describes the two-species machine-building effort.
With its completion, we were in the enviable position of possessing the sole apparatus capable of loading long-lived fermion pairs into a three-dimensional optical lattice. Chapter 6

18

discusses some peculiarities of this system we had to understand and overcome and chapter
7 presents the first evidence of superfluid pairing of ultracold fermions in an optical lattice.
In a neat reversal, the optical lattice was then used as a tool to study the superfluid transport of the paired fermions. Blueprints and technical details for the machine is included inAppendix D and publication reprints are included in Appendices E and F.
Since this is very much a work in progress, this thesis wraps up with a lengthy chapter
8 exploring the behavior and potential of this system before concluding in chapter 9. Some
intriguing initial observations about our system as well as long-term goals will be discussed.

19Chapter 2

Feshbach Resonances
Feshbach resonances have become ubiquitous as a tool for tuning the scattering properties ofultracold atoms. In fact, it is the common thread that ties together the disparate parts of mythesis. This chapter gives a brief introduction and provides technical details of the magnetic
field stabilization that was implemented in order to work near the Feshbach resonances ofboth 6 Li and 23 Na .

2.1

What is a Feshbach ResonanceIn 1962, Herbert Feshbach predicted the presence of scattering resonances in nuclear physics[26]. Since then, it has found wide application in atomic physics and many excellent references has been written [27]. A Feshbach resonance occurs when the energy of the open
scattering state is made to match that of a bound state, and a coupling exists between the
two. Various means for inducing Feshbach resonances have been suggested, encompassing
the use of radio-frequency fields [28], dc electric fields [29], optical fields [30] and magnetic
fields. While both photoassociative [31] and magnetic Feshbach resonances [32] have now
been observed, only the latter is relevant for this thesis. It works by exploiting the differencein the total magnetic moments of the open and bound states, bringing them into resonanceat certain magnetic fields (see Fig. 2-1). Atoms in the open channel can then scatter into
the intermediate bound state, before transitioning back to the open channel again.

2.1.1

The open channels-wave scattering length
In ultracold gases, two neutral atoms interact via the van der Waal’s potential V = −C6 /r6 .
Scattering is then dominated by spherically symmetric s-wave scattering if the particles are
not identical fermions, since the energies involved are typically too low to allow significant

20Energy

Vbound(r)EresEthresVopen(r)Interatomic separation

Figure 2-1: An s-wave feshbach resonance occurs when a level crossing between a boundand open scattering channel happens for certain values of the magnetic field. For ultracold
collisions, the kinetic energy in the open channel is negligible.

higher partial-wave scattering. In this limit, the net effect of the central potential withrange r0 on an atom at distance r > r0 is merely to bring about a constant phase shift in
the asymptotic wave function. From scattering theory, this phase shift is given byδ=−ka
1 + ika(2.1)

where we have defined an s-wave scattering length a such that when ka is small, it completelyparameterizes the scattering (see Fig. 2-2). The scattering amplitude f and hence crosssection σ can also be determined from Eq. 2.1 to be
f

= δ/k

(2.2)

dσ = |f |2 dΩ(2.3)⇒ σ = 4πa2

(2.4)

Close to a Feshbach resonance, the bound state affects the open channel atoms by adding
to this phase shift, since atoms can now accumulate additional phase shifts while temporarily
residing in the bound state. From second order perturbation theory, the modification of
the s-wave scattering length would follow (neglecting contributions from other bound statesthat are far-detuned)21

EnergyaInteratomic separation
r0

Figure 2-2: Relation between phase shifts and s-wave scattering lengths. For simplicity, we
have neglected the 1/r decay of the wavefunction. Dashed line gives the wavefunction for
V = 0, while solid line depicts the asymptotic wave-function for a square well potential of
finite depth V . For r < r0 , the wavefunction depicted is an extrapolation of its asymptotic
form since details at r < r0 is unimportant for the long-range behavior.

22

a∼

C
Ethres − Eres

(2.5)

It follows that when Eres > Ethres , corresponding to a virtual bound state, a < 0
and when Eres < Ethres , corresponding to a real bound state, a > 0. This distinction
becomes important in Chapter 6, where we discuss the pairing of fermions in the vicinityof a Feshbach resonance.
This microscopic description of the interatomic interactions may be parameterized interms of the experimentally accessible magnetic field as

a(B) = a0 1 −∆B
B − B0(2.6)

where a0 is the background (unperturbed) scattering length far away from the Feshbachresonance, B0 the position of the resonance and ∆B the width of the resonance (effective
range over which resonant scattering dominates). Eq. 2.6 clearly demonstrates how theatom-atom scattering properties can be tuned at will in the vicinity of a Feshbach resonance.

2.1.2

The closed channel

In addition to its effect on the open channel, the bound molecular state is also interesting
in its own right. If a significant and stable population of the bound state can be engineered
from an ultracold atomic sample with no or little increase in the temperature, then we
have succeeded in performing ’quantum chemistry’. Ultracold molecules formed this way
neatly circumvents the traditional difficulty of laser cooling of molecules arising from theircomplicated energy structure. The first direct observation of ultracold molecules produced
this way comprised of fermionic 6 Li [33] and shortly thereafter we successfully produced
ultracold bosonic 23 Na molecules [19]. Since Feshbach resonances between different atomic
species also exists, one can imagine forming ultracold hetero-nuclear molecules, with direct
application to various topics, for example the search for a permanent electric dipole moment[34].
However, dimers formed in the vicinity of a Feshbach resonance are in the highest
ro-vibrational state. If their constituent atoms are bosons, this state is unstable against
collisions, which are greatly enhanced when a is large. As a result, they quickly decay into
deeper bound states tightly localized with size R0 , releasing a correspondingly large kinetic
energy ≈ h̄2 /mR02 in the process. This energy is carried away by the colliding atoms, whichheat and leave the system. This is the source of the inelastic losses first used to infer thepresence of Feshbach resonances in bosons [32].
For dimers with fermionic constituents, the atom-dimer collisional relaxation is suppressed close to the resonance, since in order to collide, all three particles need to come23

close together but two out of the three participants will be identical and this is forbidden
by Pauli exclusion. This significantly lengthens the lifetime of such dimers, making them abetter candidate for studies of pairing as well as for down-conversion into the ground state.

2.2

Manipulating Interatomic Interactions

Theoretical calculations for the approximate locations of the 23 Na and 6 Li Feshbach resonances were done by [35, 36], and the first experimental observations reported in [32] and[37] provided a more accurate determination. Table 2.2 lists the Feshbach resonances for
23 Na and 6 Li .To utilize Feshbach resonances however, one has to have very good controlof the magnetic fields. There are two practical conditions to fulfill:
1. If electromagnets are used (almost always true to enable fast dynamic control), there
has to be sufficient capacity in the Feshbach coils to access the resonance. For resonances occurring at high fields (true for both 23 Na and 6 Li ), the coils must either bevery close to the position of the atoms, or have very high current-carrying capacity.
2. The stability of the magnetic field has to be such that there is sufficient resolution
within the width of the Feshbach resonance, on top of the resonance position. As wewill see, this can impose a requirement of better than 4 orders of magnitude stability
in the current, a performance not easily achieved by off-the-shelf power supplies.
In the following section, I will give details of the modifications to our machine that wasnecessary to work close to resonance. While this section is highly technical, it is meant
to serve as a future reference. Since the modifications were made throughout my graduate
career and put into place whenever the need arose, I will indicate where each scheme wasused where appropriate.

2.2.1

Electromagnet configuration

Fig. 2-3 shows the geometry of our modified Ioffe-Pritchard type magnetic trap. It consistsof four main pairs of coils: the pinch coils which provide axial curvature, the ioffe bars which
provide radial gradient, the anti-bias coils which cancel out the high bias fields provided by
the curvature coils, and the bias coils, wound concentrically with the anti-bias coils, which
provide additional bias fields when needed. Further details regarding the magnetic trap canbe found in Dallin Durfee’s thesis [40].
When accessing the Feshbach resonances in 23 Na and 6 Li , the atoms are trapped using
optical fields, thereby freeing up the coils for Feshbach manipulation. Parallel currents
running in Helmholtz configuration in the bias and anti-bias coils provide bias fields at a24

23 Na|F, mF i|1, 1i|1, 1i|1, −1i|mJ , mI i
| − 1/2, 3/2i
| − 1/2, 3/2i
| − 1/2, −1/2i

B0 (G)
853
907
1195

∆B (G)
1
1
4

6 Li(|F, mF i, |F, mF i)(|1/2, 1/2i, |1/2, −1/2i)(|1/2, 1/2i, |3/2, −3/2i)(|1/2, −1/2i, |3/2, −3/2i)(|mJ , mI i, |mJ , mI i)(| − 1/2, 1i, | − 1/2, 0i)(|1/2, 1/2i, |3/2, −3/2i)(|1/2, −1/2i, |3/2, −3/2i)

B0 (G)
834.149690.43811.22∆B (G)
300
122.3
222.3

Table 2.1: s-wave Feshbach resonances for 23 Na (intra-state) [32, 38] and 6 Li (inter-state)[39]. Intra-state s-wave Feshbach resonances for 6 Li do not exist due to Pauli exclusion.
The scattering states are labelled by both their |F, mF i and their |mJ , mI i numbers - thelatter are good quantum numbers at the high magnetic fields of Feshbach resonances while
the same is true for the former at low magnetic fields where we trap and cool.
rate of 2.5 G/A, (1 G/A for bias coils, 1.5 G/A for anti-bias coils). Each coil is water cooled
and capable of supporting 500 A of current. Together they can easily reach magnetic fields
in the vicinity of 1200 G and they are referred to as the Feshbach coils. Additional current
in the pinch coils can add a small amount (≈ 10 G) to this value.
Nested within the pinch coils is the rectangular glass cell where all trapping, cooling,
and manipulation of the atoms take place. The glass cell is suspended between two bellows,
and the coils are clamped to aluminum bars surrounding the glass cell. The mountingof these coils is neither rigid enough to withstand fast field ramps, nor perfect enough toensure a uniform bias field. The former problem gives rise to mechanical vibrations when
the current in the coils are ramped quickly, resulting in more background noise when we
take an absorption image of the atoms (see Widagdo Setiawan’s thesis [41] for detailed
analysis). The latter problem gives rise to radial field gradients when only a uniform bias
field is desired. This problem is addressed by winding an additional coil and inserting it off
center to the pinch coils (nulling coil in Fig. 2-3). By judicious manipulation of the current
in the nulling coil and the pinch coils (to offset axial gradients introduced), the magnetic
field can be made free of gradients at the location of the atoms.

2.2.2

Stabilization of Feshbach fields (23 Na )The widest Feshbach resonance in 23 Na is found at 1195G resonance, with a width of a few
Gauss. In order work within the resonance with reasonable resolution, it is necessary tostabilize the magnetic field to sub-Gauss precision, i.e. a part in 104 . Rapid switching andcontrol of the magnetic field was also necessary to avoid collisional decay for the series of25

Bias Coils

Nulling Coil

Pinch Coils

Ioffe Bars

Trap Axis
Anti-Bias Coils

Figure 2-3: Modified Ioffe-Pritchard style trap. Also shown is the additional off-axis fieldnulling coil used to correct for radial gradients at the high bias fields during Feshbachresonances.

26

MOSFET
Power
SupplyCoilResistor
Hall Probe

PID

Figure 2-4: Magnetic field stabilization for 23 Na Feshbach work using shunt currents. This
scheme was used for the work reported in Appendix C

experiments with quantum degenerate 23 Na molecules.
The stabilization scheme used was modeled after that described by Brian deMarco in histhesis [42]. A fast servo on each one of the Feshbach coils can be achieved by shunting out a
few amps of current in a bypass circuit (see Fig. 2-4) and changing the effective resistanceby operating a MOSFET in the analog region. A closed loop Hall probe measured thecurrents going through the coils and the signal compared to the desired setpoint. A simple
PID circuit then drove the gate voltage of the analog MOSFET, which actually consistedof an array of high power, thin film MOSFETs, wired in parallel and mounted on a copper
heatsink.
Without active stabilization of the shunt current, the DC peak-to-peak ripple (Vpp ) of thebias coils in current control mode was measured to be about 1A, with similar performance inthe anti-bias coils. After the bypass stabilization, Vpp was reduced to 200mA. The transient
response to sudden induced emf (tested by switching off current in the pinch coils, a stepnecessary for our experiments) improved from a sharp dip of 1A and a recovery time of 7ms,
to a recovery time of 2ms with no change in the amplitude of the dip. This stabilization
circuit was used for the work described in [19], included here in Appendix C.
Drawbacks of the shunt current stabilization include a daily drift of the setpoint neededto achieve a fixed current, as well as the relatively poor transient response. Further improvement of the stabilization scheme was achieved by implementing a total current servo
on the bias coil by using an IGBT as a variable resistor (see Fig. 2-5) and operating thepower supply in voltage control mode.
27

IGBT

PID 1
PID 2

Figure 2-5: Magnetic field stabilization for 23 Na Feshbach work using shunt and total current
control. This scheme gave the best transient response for the field (see Fig. 2-6)

With just the total current servo, recovery time improved to 500 µs with no change inthe transient amplitude. However, fast oscillations on the order of 10kHz was seen during
the transient. With both total and shunt current servo in place, the fast oscillations wereservoed out, with no change in the transient recovery time or amplitude response. In DC
mode, Vpp was reduced to less than 33mA, and the slow drifts of the setpoint was eliminated.
To a large extent, the total current servo acts as a slow control knob, with the shunt servo
acting as a fast, fine control. The improvement in the transient response is summarized inFig. 2-6. Altogether, the performance of our magnetic field has improved by an order ofmagnitude, allowing us to perform field-sensitive experiments.

2.2.3

Stabilization of Feshbach fields (6 Li )One problem remains. Since the bias and anti-bias coils were wound concentrically anddriven by separate power supplies, their mutual inductance was very large and fluctuations
in one invariably affected the other. This crosstalk made stabilizing out current fluctuations
at the same time very tricky. Therefore, when the scientific focus of the lab was changed tofermions, a major reconfiguration of the coils was done.
Feshbach resonances in 6 Li are quite different from those of 23 Na (for a discussion on
exactly how unusual the situation in 6 Li is, see [43]). Between the two lowest hyperfine
states of 6 Li there exists a 300G wide Feshbach resonance centered at 834G. This meant thatfast transient response was no longer necessary since switching the pinch coils would only

28

a

1A

250 µs
7 ms
b

1A

2 ms
c

1A

500 µsd

1A

500 µsFigure 2-6: The characteristic transient response of the Feshbach coils under different stabilization schemes are shown here (not to scale). The baseline is set by panel (a), where
no active stabilization is used. Panel (d) shows the best performance, with both total andshunt current stabilization. Panel (b) and (c) are the intermediate results, with just shunt
and just total current stabilization respectively.

29

A

B

C

0

Figure 2-7: Scope trace from the current monitor of the Feshbach coils. Here, 500mV ≡ 50A' 125G. Trigger indicates when the control sequence begins to ramp. (A) shows a close upof the initiation of the field ramp, including a slight (100 µs) delay before the analog IGBT
begins to clamp the current. This delay varies from shot to shot, and is not controllable.
Field ramps down ≈ 500 G in 100 µs. (B) shows the full ramp, where it takes 4 ms to rampup ≈ 400 G. (C) shows the sequence we would like to have, where field ramps take no time.
30

produce a change in magnetic field of a few Gauss, which would not change the scattering
length significantly. For the same reason, the requirement for DC stability was also relaxed.
Instead, we now needed to change the field quickly by a few hundred Gauss.
The system was improved and simplified by rewiring the coils such that a single dedicatedpower supply drove both the bias and anti-bias coils. The power supply used was an ESS
30-500 model from Lambda, capable of going up to 500 A of current or a maximum voltageof 30V. While we were now limited by the voltage to running only 450A through bothcoils, it was still sufficient for our needs (see Appendix D for wiring diagram). Active total
current stabilization was implemented to ensure rapid control over the magnetic field while
an additional feedback path to the voltage control of the power supply ensured that theanalog IGBT regulating the total current was never dissipating too much heat [44]. In
effect, the analog IGBT now served as the fast servo, while the voltage control of the power
supply served as the slow servo. The bypass MOSFETs previously used for 23 Na were nolonger necessary and were taken out.

31

Chapter 3

Bose Einstein Condensates with
Attractive Interactions
Interactions in any given atomic species depends only on its internal structure and varies
greatly. Without tunability, the only option is to switch atomic species each time a different
interaction is desired. The first two alkali species to be cooled and Bose-condensed in 1995
both had repulsive interactions [5, 6]. The first alkali species with attractive interactions
to be successfully cooled to condensation was 7 Li, in 1997 [45]. As we shall see, cooling,with its accompanying enhancement of phase space density, is more difficult for atoms withattractive interactions and only small samples could be obtained. Beyond that, instabilityof the atom cloud and loss invariably occurred.
BEC’s with attractive interactions have been likened to supernovas [46], in spite of thevast differences in length, time and energy scales. The stabilizing and destabilizing forces are
now given by quantum degenerate fermi pressure and gravitational attraction respectively,
but both systems possess the same stability criterion. By creating an attractive BEC andwatching it decay, it can be said that one has simulated an astrophysical event in the lab.
Since the observation of magnetically tunable Feshbach resonances in 1998 [32], thenumber of experimental testing grounds for attractive atoms have multiplied. Now large
condensates could first be formed with repulsive interactions before switching to attractive
interactions using the resonance. In this chapter, I will describe our studies of large sodium
BEC’s with attractive interactions. At the time, the steady state properties of an attractive
BEC was already fairly well-understood. Debate centered instead around the loss dynamics
when the system became unstable. Many processes are likely to play a part [47, 48] but wefocus on the role of amplified local instabilities [49]. Our experiment was reported in:
J.K. Chin, J.M. Vogels and W. Ketterle, ”Amplification of Local Instabilities in a BoseEinstein Condensate with Attractive Interactions, Phys. Rev. Lett. 90” 160405 (2003)
32

[50]. Included in Appendix A.

3.1

Mean-Field Interactions

In dilute gases, the length scales of the system are almost always well separated, withr0 (sub nm’s) << a(nm’s) << n−1/3 (sub µm)(3.1)

where r0 is the effective range of the interatomic potential and n−1/3 gives interparticle
spacing. This simplifies the determination of the interactions considerably, since atoms thatspend most of their time far apart do not care much about the details of short-range scattering. A pseudopotential that reproduces the long-range scattering length a can then be constructed, and takes the form of a zero-range delta function potential V (r) = U0 δ(r)(δ/δr)r,
where
U0 =

4πh̄2
a
m

(3.2)

In turn, the many-body interaction can be approximated by averaging the two-body effective interactions of all other atoms (so called Hartree-Fock approximation), since thediluteness condition implies that all three and higher-order scattering is very unlikely. This
constant mean-field term is given by U = nU0 , and appears in the Gross-Pitaevskii equation
governing the evolution of a BEC as−h̄2 2
5 ψ(r) + V (r)ψ(r) + U0 |ψ(r)|2 = µψ(r)
2m

(3.3)

where V (r) is the external trapping potential and µ the chemical potential.

3.2

Steady-state Behavior

In the simplest case, V (r) = 0, and the kinetic energy term is small for a large homogeneouscondensate. The GP equation then reduces to
U0 |ψ(r)|2 = µψ(r)(3.4)

leading to a trivial condition for stability. If a > 0, the interactions are repulsive and the
BEC is stable. If a < 0, the atoms self-attract and implosion of the BEC occurs.
For a trapped BEC in a harmonic potential (by far the most experimentally relevant),
it is possible to have a small stable condensate with attractive interactions. In this case,the negative mean-field energy is stabilized by the zero point kinetic energy of the harmonic

33

potential. For fixed a, the maximum atom number an attractive BEC can support inequilibrium is given by
Ncr =where aho =

p

kaho
|a|

(3.5)

h̄/mω is the harmonic oscillator length and k is a stability coefficient that

depends on the external trapping frequencies [51]. Condensates of 7 Li with a small negative
background scattering length of -27 Bohr radii have been made, with Ncr ≈ 1250 atoms[45, 52]. Once the condensates grow larger than Ncr , a sharp reduction in the number ofatoms via a sudden collapse is seen. The functional form of Eq. 3.5 has also been verified
by [53] using 85 Rb.

3.3

Dynamics - Local Amplification of Instabilities

Closer study of the dynamics of attractive BEC’s have indicated that many processes contribute to condensate decay, including bursts and jets of spin-polarized atoms as well as
invisible loss [54]. The former effect is mainly phenomenological and not well explained byany existing theory. On the other hand, the latter has been shown to be due to molecule
conversion - i.e. atoms have populated the resonant bound state in the vicinity of the
Feshbach resonance, and likely decayed to more deeply bound states subsequently [55].
We add to the discussion by demonstrating yet another mechanism that contributes tothe loss of zero-momentum condensate atoms. In 2002, Yurovsky pointed out that large
attractive condensates have unstable modes with ”imaginary eigenenergies” which undergo
exponential growth [49]. Contrary to the global collapse observed in [54], this amplificationof instabilities, or ”quantum evaporation” for short (to borrow a term from the field of
liquid Helium), is a purely local process.

3.3.1

Bogoliubov theory of elementary excitations

Mean-field interactions in a weakly-interacting BEC modify its excitation spectrum andcause it to deviate from ideal gas behavior. In particular, it couples the different free momentum states p0i s, such that they are no longer good eigen-states of the system. Bogoliubov
theory can be used to find the new eigenstates and eigen-energies of the system, which weoutline below:
In second quantized notation, the Hamiltonian for a uniform interacting bose gas system
is
H=

X
p

0p a†p ap +U0 X †a a† 0 ap0 ap
2V p,p0 ,q p+q p −q
34

(3.6)

where 0p = p2 /2m and the operators a†p and ap create or destroy one quantum of excitationin the free space momentum mode p, q. By performing the canonical transformationb†p=up a†p + vp a−pbp=

up ap + vp a†−pwhere
u2p , vp2

0p + n0 U0 ± (p)
2(p)

=

the Hamiltonian becomes diagonal again in the new Bose operators b†p and bp , with eigenenergys(p) =|p|2|p|2(2n0 U0 +
)
2m
2m

(3.7)

The ”good modes” b†p and bp are now superpositions of the free particle operators a†p and
ap . For each free momentum state p 6= 0, the ground state population ha†p ap i is finite, andgiven by vp2 (see Appendix B). This occupation of non-zero momentum states in the groundstate of an interacting BEC is known as quantum depletion.

3.3.2

Qualitative predictions

From Eq. 3.7, we can deduce most of the qualitative results from a few basic principles.
Exponential growth of unstable modes
Imaginary (p) exist for all negative U0 , given arbitrarily low momentum p. For thesemodes, the time evolution governed by exp[i/h̄t] goes from stable oscillatory behavior to
exponential growth as U0 becomes more negative.
Number squeezing
Momentum conservation demands that the increase in atom number in each +p mode beaccompanied by a corresponding increase in each −p mode.
Depletion of the condensate
The zero momentum state condensate is increasingly depleted due to number conservation.

35

a

b
U<0

~
|ε|

~
ε

U>0
U=0
U<0

1

1
0

2

0

~
p

√

~
p

2

2

Figure 3-1: (Color in electronic version) Panel (a) shows the dispersion relation (Eq. 3.7)
for U > 0 (red), U = 0 (green) and Uq< 0 (blue) plotted in dimensionless energy and

p
U
,c= m
). Dashed line shows the asymptotic form for
momentum units (ε̃ = Uε , p̃ = mc
U > 0, where the extrapolation down to p = 0 shows an energy offset equal to U . WhenU < 0, there exists real eigen-energies only for p̃ > 2. Panel (b) shows the behavior of |ε̃(p̃)|
when it becomes imaginary. As discussed, all modes with p̃ < 2 will grow exponentially.
For a fixed negative a, there exists a mode |p| which has maximum growth rate.

3.4

Experiment

For a real system, V (r) is never zero. However, the previous formalism still holds as long as
the sample is large and the density does not vary quickly across the length of the sample.
This is valid as long as the interactions U is much greater than the zero-point motion h̄ωof the atoms (often called the Thomas-Fermi regime [56]). The experiment described below
makes use of large sodium BEC’s which are well in this limit. The gist of is given in the
publication [50], reproduced here in Appendix A, and only the highlights and some details
will be provided here.

3.4.1

Mode selection

We isolate a single mode for observation in order to obtain a clear signature of quantum
evaporation. Experimentally, it is much easier to change U0 than |p|, so the condition
for unstable modes becomes |U0 | > |p|2 /4mn0 for fixed |p|. A small population is seeded
in a low momentum mode p before switching on the attractive interactions, thus favoring
its growth over the others. The growth of the −p mode then provides an unambiguous
visualization of the process (see Fig. 3-3).
A two-photon Bragg process (Fig. 3-2) was used as the seeding mechanism. Two lightbeams with momentum k1 and k2 and energy difference h̄∆ω are incident upon the atoms

36

Excited State
Detuning
Bragg beams

Glass
cell

Energyk2
k1
Dipole trap

5o

h̄∆ω

0

p
Momentumk1

k2

Figure 3-2: Shown on the left is the dispersion for a BEC with U > 0 (from Eq. 3.7)
together with the energy matching condition for two-photon Bragg scattering. This process
is used to preselect a mode for observation of quantum evaporation. Shown on the right isthe corresponding experimental setup. For clarity, the Bragg beams are drawn as vectors
with infinitesimal width. In actuality, their beam waists were fairly wide and encompassed
the length of the BEC. Effort was made to have ∆k = k1 − k2 to be predominantly in theradial direction of the BEC. For optical access reasons, the orientation of k1 was limited to
15o to the long axis.

Figure 3-3: The expected momentum of thephonon amplification scheme. The appearance of the −p momentum component provides a clear qualitative signature of quantum
evaporation, and the separation of both momentum components from the zero momentum condensate makes it possible to quantitatively track its evolution.
p

-p p

37

initially at zero momentum. For given p = h̄(k1 − k2 ), if the energy matching condition∆ω = ε(p) is satisfied, then atoms will be transferred from the zero momentum state to
the p momentum state. The duration and intensity of the light beams determine the rateand selectivity of the transfer, and a large detuning ensures only virtual population in the
excited state. For a more complete description, please see the thesis of Daniel Miller [57]3.4.2

Direct determination of scattering length

In order to make quantitative comparisons with theory, it was necessary to obtain a very
good measurement of the scattering length in the vicinity of the Feshbach resonance. Traditionally the signature for Feshbach resonance, inelastic loss did not directly yield a value
for the scattering length, which was rather inferred from calculated widths.
A novel scheme for directly measuring the negative scattering length was implemented
by using a blue-detuned laser that acts to repel atoms via the AC Stark shift (see section
7.2). Fig. 3-4 illustrates how this works. The force produced by the anti-trapping opticalpotential compensates for the attractive interaction and helps stabilize the condensate.
From this we can extract the scattering length a:a ∝ Fattractive = Frepulsive ∝ I(3.8)

where I is the intensity of the antitrap. By only assuming the form of Eq. 2.6 and the highfield background scattering length of a0 = 3.3 nm [58], the scattering length is completely
determined by the variation of I vs magnetic field for any given field.

3.4.3

Observations

The resulting observation of quantum evaporation (Fig. 3-5) agreed well with theoreticalestimates of the evaporation rate as well as the minimum |a| required for instability to set
in.

3.5

Analysis

Here we give details of the analysis not covered in [50]. Ideally, the formal expression for
the evolution of an unstable mode p is given by [49]hξp† ξp i(t) =|U |2
sinh2 [λ(p)t]2 2h̄ λ (p)(3.9)

where λ(p) = |(p)|/h̄ and we have used ξp† , ξp to denote the creation and annihilation
operators of the unstable free momentum states a†p , ap , in line with the notation in [49].
Modifications to this expression due to seeding a small population v 2 and initial quantum
38

a

b

c

Figure 3-4: Absorption images reveal the effect of a blue detuned laser beam on a BEC
with attractive interactions. Accurate alignment was achieved by making sure the atoms
with a > 0 were evenly split after holding in the anti-trap for 2 ms (a). When a < 0, theapplication of the anti-trap stabilizes the global contraction of the condensate (b), which
would begin to shrink otherwise (c).

Figure 3-5: Observation of quantum evaporation. Insets show the density profile of a radialslice through the condensate. In (a), a condensate with a > 0 has been seeded with asmall population in momentum state p. In time-of-flight, atoms in state p move out of thecondensate in a predominantly radial direction. In (b), the interactions in the condensate
has been switched to a < 0 after seeding momentum state p. Now ±p components are seen,
with higher population than the initial seed in the +p momentum state.

39

depletion of the condensate can be obtained by evaluating hv 2 |ξp† (t)ξp (t)|v 2 i, beginning withthe previously derived time-evolution of the annihilation operator (see Appendix B),

ξp (t) = (cosh[λ(p)t] − i

d(p)
U
†
(0)
sinh[λ(p)t])ξp (0) − isinh[λ(p)t]ξ−pλ(p)h̄λ(p)(3.10)

2p
where the detuning d(p) = ( 2m
+ U )/h̄ and the coupling is given by U/h̄.

3.5.1

Seeding

In this case, the mode p has initial population v 2 with all other modes having populationzero:
hv |ξp† (t)ξp (t)|v 2 i
2



2

2
U2
d(p)
sinh[λ(p)t]v2 + 2 2
sinh2 (λt)λ(p)
h̄ λ (p) !

=cosh [λ(p)t] +

= v

2

=

g 2 (p)U2
1+ 2
sinh2 (λt)
sinh2 (λt) v 2 + 2 2λ (p)h̄ λ (p)2

1 + sinh (λt) +

2
d(p)
U2
sinh[λ(p)t]sinh2 (λt)
+ 2 2
λ(p)
h̄ λ (p)

 !

!

U2
= v 2 + (v 2 + 1) 2 2
sinh2 (λt)
h̄ λ (p)Note that λ2 (p)+d2 (p) = U 2 /h̄2 . As expected, the rate of growth does not change. Instead,
there is merely an offset corresponding to the initial seed population, and an enhancementof the population in the seeded mode vs. unseeded modes by a factor (v 2 + 1).

3.5.2

Quantum Depletion

The effects of quantum depletion is more complicated, since now all modes are initially
populated. Since all the modes are also coherent, the phase correlations can interfere either
constructively or destructively to affect the evolution. We simulate the effect of quantum
depletion in Fig. 3-6 using our experimental parameters and include the full calculationin Appendix B. We see that the growth of the unstable mode actually slows down due toquantum depletion.
However, the total fraction of quantum depleted atoms in a BEC with density n0 can√be estimated by η0 = 1.505 n0 a3 [25]. For our parameters, this gives a quantum depleted
fraction of 0.5 ≈ 1%, and we conclude that its effect is negligible.

40Mode occupation

6
4
2

0.1

0.2

time (ms)Figure 3-6: (Color in electronic version) Solid (red) curve shows the exponential growthof a mode p with finite initial population due to quantum depletion. Dashed (blue) curveshows the growth without quantum depletion (Equation 3.9).

3.5.3

Contribution to condensate decay

Finally, we place quantum evaporation in context amid the other decay processes by considering their respective time scales. In particular, we will compare it to global collapse.
Since the rate of quantum evaporation is a predominantly local effect, we expect that it
will dominate when the condensate is large enough for the Thomas-Fermi approximation
to apply. Conversely, if the condensate is small, the local description is invalid and global
collapse occurs. This is also supported by our observations.

41

Chapter 4

Quantum Degenerate Fermions
The rest of this thesis will focus on work done with ultracold fermions and this chapter
gives a brief overview of the quantum degenerate fermi gas.

4.1

Non-interacting spin-polarized gas of fermions

To a very good approximation, a spin-polarized gas of ultracold fermions is non-interacting,since Pauli-exclusion forbids their interacting via symmetric s-wave collisions and higher
partial wave scattering is inhibited due to the low energies. This makes theoretical calculations simple and exact.

4.1.1

Zero temperature description

At T = 0, the expression for Fermi energy and distribution for an ideal Fermi gas may
be derived from the fully-filled Fermi sea distribution function: f (r, p) = 1 if p ≤ pF (orequivalently if Etotal (r, p) ≤ EF ) and is zero otherwise. In a harmonic trap with spherical
trapping frequencies ωx,y,z = ω, all distribution functions can be derived from the pair ofequationsh̄2 k(x)2 X 1+mω 2 x2i = EF
2m
2
i

(4.1)

d3 k
f (r, p)3
k<kF (2πh̄)

(4.2)

Z

n(r) =

Then the spatial distribution n(r) and the local Fermi energy (r) defined in terms of thelocal Fermi wavevector kF (r) becomes
n(r)

=

1
kF (r)3
6π 2

42

(4.3)

1 3
k
6π 2 F

=

X x2

!3/2

i

1−

i

(4.4)

Ri2

where

(4.5)
2

F (r)

(r)2

h̄ kF
2m
EF − V (r)

=
=

(4.6)
(4.7)

Eq. 4.4 is known as the Thomas-Fermi distribution where EF is the Fermi energy. For a
total number of particles N , EF only depends on the number of fermions and the trapping
potential as
Z

N

=
=

1
6

d3 rnF (r)


EF
h̄ω

(4.8)

3

(4.9)

or alternatively, EF = (6N )1/3 h̄ω, corresponding to kF =q

2mEF /h̄2 at the center of

the trap where V = 0, andr the spatial extent of the cloud in the trap is given by theThomas-Fermi radius Ri =2EF. For a homogeneous system, the local Fermi energy andmωi2

wavevector is just EF and kF .

4.1.2

Finite temperature

For a finite temperature analysis of the properties of a non-interacting Fermi gas, we turnto Fermi-Dirac statistics. In a semi-classical description, the Fermi distribution function ina harmonic potential can be written asf (r, p) =1
exp[β(p2 /2m + Vho (r) − µ)] + 1

where β = kB T , µ is the chemical potential and Vho =P(4.10)

1/2mω 2 r2 . The spatial distribution

is given by integrating over the momentum p, giving
1d3 pf (r, p)
2πh̄31− 3 PolyLog(3/2, −e(µ−V (r)/kB T ) )
λdB
Z

n(r)

=
=
where

PolyLog(n, λ)=is a a standard integral, and λdB =q(4.11)(4.12)(4.13)

1πnZ

1d2n r2e /λ − 1(4.14)

2πh̄2mkB T is the de Broglie wavelength. The total numberof particles may be recovered by integrating over the remaining spatial coordinates, giving

43

Z

d3 rn(r)N=(4.15)

Using a convenient property of the PolyLog functions,
Z

2

PolyLog(n, λe−x ) =√πPolyLog(n + 1/2, λ)(4.16)

the total number of particles may be expressed as
kB T
N =−
h̄ω


3

PolyLog(3, −eµ/kBT )(4.17)

When T → 0, there is no drastic change in the distribution function. Instead, it smoothlyinterpolates from a classical gaussian shape to a PolyLog function before finally reaching
the Thomas-Fermi profile (Eq. 4.4) at zero temperature.

4.1.3

Time of flight

By definition, a non-interacting gas expands ballistically in time-of-flight. The spatial distribution can then be obtained by making the substitutionxi (t) →V→

xi (0)q

1 + ωi2 t2VqΠi 1 + ωi2 t2(4.18)(4.19)

leading to an expression for the spatial distribution n(x, t)1
1qn(x, t) = − 3
PolyLog3/2 (−e−β(V −µ) )λdB Πi 1 + ω 2 t2

(4.20)i

4.2

Interacting two-component fermions

When we have a mixture of fermions in two different spin states, s-wave scattering between
them is permitted, and we have to include interactions. Of these, attractive interactions
are the most interesting since they give rise to pairing. For convenience, the two different
spin states are often referred to as spin-up (↑) or spin down (↓). For repulsive interaction,
the qualitative behavior in the bulk phase does not change even at zero temperature.

44

4.2.1

Weak attractive interactions - BCS state

For weak interactions where the range of the interactions a is much smaller than the interparticle spacing n−1/3 , the ground state of the system can be solved [59] and corresponds tothe famous BCS state first introduced to describe superconductivity. It turns out that thethree-dimensional Fermi sea is unstable even against the weakest attractive interactions,preferring to form bound states (Cooper pairs) with exponentially small binding energy.
The pairs can then Bose-condense at a critical temperature given byTc ≈ 0.28TF eπ/2kF a(4.21)

This superfluid Fermi gas exhibits frictionless flow, due to the presence of a finite gap ∆gapin the single-particle excitation spectrum
(k)

=

q

∆2gap + [h̄vF (k − kF )]2

where
∆gap

≈

(4.22)(4.23)

1.76kB Tc(4.24)For realistic values of kF a, the transition temperature for dilute gases quickly becomes verysmall, making observation of the true BCS state difficult.

4.2.2

Strong interactions - Unitarity

One obvious solution is to increase kF a. Naively, we would expect Tc to approach 0.28TF
when 1/kF a tends towards zero. However, when a diverges in the vicinity of a Feshbachresonance, the gas is no longer weakly interacting and standard derivations of BCS theory
are no longer valid. On resonance, a greatly exceeds all other length scales in the problem
and the only length scale left is the interparticle spacing n−1/3 . This is known as theunitarity regime.
Within this regime, the corresponding energy scale must be the Fermi energy F =h̄2
2
2m (6π n). The chemical potential of the gas is then F times a universal constant:µ = ξF(4.25)

Calculations of ξ [60] are being constantly refined as new measurements are made [61, 62, 63],
but it is approximatelyξ ≈ 0.45(4.26)In a harmonic trap, the spatial distribution of the cloud in the unitarity regime again musthave the Thomas-Fermi profile (Eq. 4.4) except now we substitute in the chemical potential45µ for the total energy EF . Then the Thomas-Fermi radius becomes RT F =p2µ/mω 2 andnormalization to the total number of particles yields
µ=

p

ξEF

(4.27)

where EF is again the non-interacting Fermi energy (6N )1/3 h̄ω. The expression for peakdensity in the Thomas-Fermi profile becomes1
2m 2/3
6π 2 h̄2
1
2mEF 3/2√
6π 2 h̄2 ξ


n0 =
=



(4.28)(4.29)

A similar argument can be used for the critical temperature in the unitarity regime,
asserting that
Tc = αTF(4.30)

where α is also a universal dimensionless parameter. Without knowing its precise value,
this linear scaling with TF is already a vast improvement over the exponential suppression
with 1/kF a in Eq. 4.21. Experimental observations of condensates in the unitarity regime
have placed α to be ≈ 0.2 [14].

46Chapter 5

Experimental Setup for cooling 6Li
When the focus switched to studying fermions in optical lattices in 2004, there were alreadymany indications that 6 Li would be a good choice. In 2003 - the ”Year of the Molecules”- one group after another had successfully obtained fermionic pair condensates [13, 14]. In
all these studies, the seconds-long lifetimes of 6 Li condensates stood out. The only otherfermionic species cooled to condensation, 40 K, had much shorter lifetimes of milliseconds[10]. The longer lifetimes allowed for more efficient cooling, and 6 Li pair condensates with
T /TF < 0.05 were routinely obtained.
In addition, a 23 Na -6 Li machine had previously been constructed in a neighboringlab (BEC I) with great success [64, 65, 66, 44], and significant in-house expertise had
accumulated. This chapter documents our building effort, highlighting peculiarities specificto our machine and provides some useful technical information.

5.1

Light

5.1.1

Power and Frequency Requirements

In laser cooling and trapping (6 Li ), all optical power considerations begin from the saturation intensity (2.5 mW/cm2 ), while frequency considerations stem from the D2 line
cycling transition (671.977 nm) and excited state linewidth (6 MHz). More specifically,
the linewidth of the laser needs to be significantly less (< 1 MHz) than the excited state
linewidth, and actively locked to the atomic transition.
Additionally, the total desired power is determined by the frequency generation design.
We list our requirements below:
1. The MOT is formed from 6 independent beams each with radius 1 cm2 . The independent beam setup mirrors our 23 Na MOT setup, and allows for easy MOT optimization.
Similarly, the large 6 Li beam size matches the beam size for 23 Na .
47

MOT
RepumpSlower
SubTotal
Pre-optical fiber (50%)
Pre-switching AOM’s (80%)
Pre-Locking setup + Misc. Inefficiencies (10%)
Total power needed

Power (mW)
6×π×(1 cm)2 × 2.5 = 45
45
30
120
240
300
350
> 350

Table 5.1: Power needed from a 6 Li laser source. Efficiencies of various stages are indicatedin parentheses.
2. An equal amount of repump and MOT light is needed. Unlike 23 Na , repumping 6 Li isdifficult due to its unresolved excited state (see Fig. 5-2). Because of this, repumping
light up to the saturation intensity is needed in all 6 MOT beams.
3. Light delivery to the MOT is decoupled from the laser output and frequency generationtable via polarization maintaining, single-mode optical fibers.
4. Acousto-optical modulators (AOM’s) are used for fast switching (< 1µs).
5. 15 mW of light is needed for stable frequency locking using pump-probe spectroscopy.
Enough power is needed to obtain saturated absorption features.
These considerations are summarized in Table 5.1 and gives a total power requirementof > 350mW.

5.1.2

Possible laser systems

The possible laser systems considered were:Distributed low power sources
In a so-called ”master-slave” configuration, light from a frequency-locked, low power source(master) is divided up and frequency shifted before acting as a reference for several higher
power diodes (slaves). The maximum power obtainable in any one beam is then determinedby the power of a single diode. This was the scheme previously used in a separate lab within
our group.
However, the availability of high power (50-100 mW) slave diodes is driven by commercial demand (e.g. DVD manufacturers), and fluctuates greatly. As diode technology
improved, the available wavelengths kept shifting lower, as shorter wavelength light meantthat the density of encoded data could be pushed higher. Wavelengths fell below 671nm, to48

peak at about 660 or 650 nm. While heating the laser diodes could shift the lasing frequency
by a few nm’s, shifting by >10 nm caused too much instability. After testing numerous
diodes, we concluded that their performance was inadequate. Moreover, a known problem
with multiple slaves was that the probability of any one of them becoming unlocked in agiven time period goes up rapidly with the number of slaves.
High power sources
Ideally we would like a single high-power source, capable of hassle-free operation for hours
at a time. Options considered include• Tapered amplifierThis system derives its frequency characteristics from a diode where the linewidth has
been narrowed by active feedback. Power is then boosted by injecting the light intoa tapered amplifier. One such system was the TA100 with initial power estimatesof 250 mW from Toptica Photonics. Though the power was somewhat low for our
purposes, it could have been made to work in combination with one slave diode, but
finally indefinite delays in the fabrication of the amplifier chip forced us to consider
alternatives.
• Frequency doubled solid state laser
Another intriguing option is a solid state, frequency doubled red laser. The Nd3+
ion has a secondary lasing line near 1338 nm, which could be temperature tuned to1343.95 nm, the fundamental wavelength for frequency doubling to 671.977nm (seeFig. 5-1). In principle, such a laser would provide turn-key operation, good stability
and a TEM (0,0) mode.
Crystalaser had some initial success developing this laser in consultation with us. By
pumping a NbVO4 crystal at 808 nm and intracavity doubling with an LBO crystal, apreliminary model lasing at 671 nm with 250 mW of power and sub-MHz bandwidth
was obtained. Upon testing however, some problems with the continuous frequencytuning of the laser were discovered. Ultimately, this scheme was also not adopted,
although further development could yield a viable model in the future.

5.1.3

Final choice - Dye laser

The final selection of a 699 Coherent Ring Dye laser model was meant to be a temporary
solution until better solid state options became available. It ended up staying in place forover two years, until a tapered amplifier system was successfully developed and substitutedin (see the undergraduate thesis of Widagdo Setiawan [41]). While no longer in place, the49

1338 nm1319 nm

1064 nm

4F
3/2

4I
13/2

Figure 5-1: Energy levels and the first threelasing lines of Nd3+ ion. Strongest emission
comes from the 1064 nm line, followed byemission on the 1319 and 1338 nm lines, bothwith a factor of 5 lower stimulated emission
cross sections [67]. In order to have sustained
CW emission on the 1338 nm line, the othertwo have to be suppressed.

dye laser system was used to obtain most of the results reported in this thesis, and I will
give a brief description of its operation here. This may also come in useful if an auxiliary
tunable red light source is needed for future experiments.
• Dye recipe (courtesy of John Thomas): 1g LD688 dissolved in 1 liter of 2-phenoxyethanol (EPH) and ultra-sounded overnight, since the dye is only slightly soluble in
EPH. Both can be obtained from Exciton Inc, and EPH is additionally available from
Penta Manufacturing (preferred).
• Pump laser: For good conversion efficiency, the pump should be close to in frequency,
but have higher energy than the output. In addition, the transverse spatial mode of
the pump beam also has to be perfectly Gaussian. Limited high power options leadto a common choice of green light for the pump. Initially, we used an old Coherent
Innova 100 Argon-ion laser. However, a sagging filament in the aging ion tube resulted
in a deformed transverse mode and frequent pointing shifts. A newer model of Ar-ion
laser - the Saber TSM-15, encountered similar problems. Finally, a solid state Millenia
X system from Spectra-Physics with 10W of output power at 532 nm was used.
• Alignment: The high viscosity of EPH meant that the jet stream was fairly thick.
In addition, the 699 model had old and poorly designed mirror mounts, resulting ina laser that was very difficult to align and optimize. The tweeter mirror focus was aparticularly sensitive knob. Small changes could result in dramatic improvement in
power and mode.
• Frequency noise: Initially, the dye laser exhibited frequency noise at 60 Hz. Whenviewed on a 300 MHz scanning Fabry-Perot cavity, the sub-MHz linewidth of the light
was seen to break up periodically. This noise could also be seen directly - with thelaser locked to the reference cavity, the error signal showed jagged structure at 60 Hz.
The problem was finally solved by replacing the aging electrolytic capacitors (10mF)
that filtered the AC power input.
50F‘=1/2
1.7 MHz
3/2
2.8 MHz
5/2

2 P3/2

RepumpD2-line670.977 nm

2 S1/2

Γ = 6 MHz

SlowerSlowerSidebands

MOT

26 MHz

}

526
MHz

300
MHz

F=3/2

228.2 MHz

26 MHz

1/2

Figure 5-2: Level structure of 6 Li and the frequencies needed for slowing and magneto-optic
trapping. The excited states of 6 Li are not resolved, which makes it difficult to repump
6 Li atoms from the F= 1/2 manifold.

Dye laser performance
In the end, we managed to obtain a relatively stable, high power light source. The laser
had sub-MHz linewidth, good transverse mode and produced up to 500 mW of power.

5.1.4

Frequency generation scheme

The physics of slowing a hot atomic beam and magneto-optic trapping has been treatedextensively elsewhere [68]. Here I summarize in Fig. 5-2 the concrete frequencies needed fortrapping and cooling 6 Li , and outline our scheme for generating it in Fig. 5-3. Generally,
acousto-optic modulators (AOM’s) were used to shift frequencies, save for the sidebands on
the slower, which were generated using an electro-optic modulator (EOM). An optics tablelayout is also provided in Fig. D-3.

51

228
sidebands- 80

Slowing manifold

- 500

0

0

0

-500x2
80

+228

80

- 200

3/2 manifold

80x2

0

80x2

- 200

1/2 manifold

Note: all frequencies quoted in MHz

Figure 5-3: Frequency generation of the light required for cooling and imaging 6 Li atoms andmolecules. Rectangles represent frequency shifters. The frequency of the slowing manifold
was determined by the detuning of the Zeeman slower at the oven, while the 3/2 and 1/2
manifold provided the MOT and repump light respectively. They also provided the lightneeded for imaging atoms in both hyperfine states, tuned by a double-passed 80 MHz AOM.
The optional use of an additional double-passed 500 MHz AOM in the 3/2 manifold madeit possible to image atoms at high magnetic fields.

52

5.2

VacuumThe vacuum system is similar to that previously developed by Claudiu Stan [69] (see Fig.
D-1). Two separate alkali reservoirs are used, each heated to a different temperature (420o C for 6 Li and 350 o C for 23 Na ) to enable independent tuning of the two vapor pres-sures (2.5×10−4 mmHg and 8×10−2 mmHg respectively). The two alkali species were thenoverlapped by passing them through the same nozzle.
An additional stage of differential pumping was also added between the oven and themain chamber where our experiments are conducted. It consists of an intermediate chamberpumped by an ion pump and sandwiched between two low conductance differential pumping
tubes. Before, we had less than 3 orders of magnitude of differential pumping. After, thesustainable pressure differential rose to 4 orders of magnitude. In the worse case scenario,
we could run the experiment when the oven pressure was in the low 10−6 Torr.

5.2.1

Baking out

Due to multiple gate valve failures, the main chamber had to be vented a number of times
over the years and we have accumulated quite a bit of vacuum lore. As a benchmark, I
include here a log of how the pressure typically comes down during a bake of a clean systemafter a controlled vent with Argon gas with 5.0 (99.999%) purity.
Fig. 5-4 was recorded after a sodium change, performed when the main chamber could
not be fully isolated from the oven due to a gate valve failure. However, the intermediate
gate valve (IGV, second from the main chamber, see Fig. D-1) was still closing though notsealing. The vent was therefore done with the main chamber filled with Ar gas and theIGV closed, resulting in a very low conductance to the oven when it was opened and thesodium reservoir refilled.
The log starts after the system has been pumped on for several hours by the turbo pump
mounted in the oven and the temperature of the bake had stabilized. This bake consistedof heating the whole vacuum system to a temperature between 100 and 150 degrees Celsius,
the ion pumps in the main, slower, and intermediate chamber running and the intermediate
gate valve closed. After three days of baking, the system was cooled and the titanium
sublimation pump in the main chamber brought the pressure down to operating levels.

5.3

Cooling of fermionic 6 Li

The actual cooling procedure has been extensively described in multiple theses from thisgroup and I will only give a brief description and include relevant experimental parameters.
For details, please refer to [70, 12].

53

8.00E-08

A

B

C

6.00E-08

Main Chamber

4.00E-08
2.00E-08
0.00E+00

6.00E-08

Slower Side

4.00E-08
2.00E-08

Pressure (Torr)

0.00E+00

3.00E-09

Intermediate
Chamber

2.00E-09

1.00E-09

0.00E+00

4.00E-06
3.00E-06

Oven
2.00E-06
1.00E-06
0.00E+00
8/6/050:00

8/6/0512:00

8/7/050:00

8/7/0512:00

8/8/050:00

8/8/0512:00

8/9/050:00

Date and Time

Figure 5-4: Pressure log of our vacuum system during a gentle bake (see text). Dashedline A indicates when the oven temperature (set high during the bake) was turned down,
leading to a drop in the oven pressure. B indicates when the ion gauges were degassed, theturbo pump in the oven was valved off and the ion pump started. Between B and C, theIGV was opened, causing a spike in the intermediate chamber pressure. C marks the time
we began cooling down the whole system, and the log ends when the pressure in the mainchamber has fallen to the 10−10 Torr range and the Titanium sublimation pump was fired.
54

Figure 5-5: (Color in electronic version). Magneto-optically trapped 6 Li atoms.

5.3.1

Sympathetic cooling

Optical cooling of individual atoms is limited by the momentum ”kick” that each atom
experiences when they re-emit the absorbed photon in a random direction [68]. This ”recoil
limit” can be estimated by setting it equal the recoil energy kB Tr = h̄2 k 2 /2m. Typically,
this is on the order of a few µK. This is still far away from the BEC temperatures, which
are in the nK range for dilute gases.
While some tricks can be played to achieve sub-Doppler cooling using lasers, the mostrobust form of further cooling is a form of evaporation. By ejecting the more energetic atoms
from the sample, the average energy is lowered. The key to cooling here is the interatomic
interactions - elastic collisions are needed to rethermalize the sample and drive the system
to a lower entropy state. If there are no interactions, the number of atoms in the low energy
states will not be increased even as the hot atoms leave.
For spin-polarized fermions, this is a problem since low-temperature (s-wave) collisions
are forbidden by the Pauli exclusion principle. One solution is to cool fermions by placing
them in thermal contact with bosons. At the cost of additional complexity, fermion number
is conserved as only bosons are evaporated. Given our existing 23 Na BEC machine, thiswas the most natural choice.
Our scheme for sympathetic cooling follows closely the method reported in [70] and issummarized in Fig. 5-6. We start with a dual-species MOT obtained by first loading Li
atoms (see Fig. 5-5) for 10 to 15 s before loading Na atoms for another 1 to 2 s. Hyperfine
state selection using optical pumping then takes place for a few hundred µs during time-offlight from the MOT before the atoms are loaded into the magnetic trap. If both 6 Li and
23 Na are in their doubly polarized states ((3/2, 3/2 for 6 Li and (2, 2) for 23 Na ), the spin

mixture will be stable against spin-exchange collisions since there are no distinct pair ofstates with the same total spin. Initially, the trap is fairly weak, with a high bias field of
80 G. This ensures good separation between the different hyperfine states of Na (see Fig.
5-7), allowing for additional optical pumping followed by a microwave field sweep to fully
eliminate population in the other magnetically trappable (2, 1) state. The trap is then55

Optical pumpingNaF’ = 2

Li

F’

Dual species MOT
F=2
F=1

F = 3/2
F = 1/2

Catch in magnetic trap
Forced microwave
evaporation of Na

Figure 5-6: (Color in electronic version). The stages of sympathetic cooling. Atoms slowed
by a Zeeman slower is loaded into a two-species MOT. Optical pumping of both 6 Li and
23 Na using σ + light transfers atoms into the fully stretched state, before they are caught ina magnetic trap. Forced microwave evaporation of hot 23 Na atoms lowers the total energy,
and rethermalization cools the remaining 23 Na and 6 Li atoms.

56

mF=2
1
0

F=2

-1
1.7 GHzmicrowave
evaporation-2-1

440 micron

0

F=1

1

B
Figure 5-7: Shown on the left is the hyperfine structure of 23 Na as a function of magnetic
field. Evaporation takes place in the F = 2, mF = 2 hyperfine level by microwave transferof the energetic atoms to the untrapped F = 1, mF = 1 hyperfine level. The result is
a BEC of 23 Na atoms in the (2,2) state, shown right in an absorption image taken after
20 ms time-of-flight. The condensate displays clear bimodality of the density distribution,
where a diffuse thermal cloud is seen to surround the much denser central condensate core.
The total number of condensed atoms is about 10 million, and the trapping frequencies areνx,y,z = (110, 110, 26) Hz.

57

adiabatically compressed by lowering the bias field down to a few gauss once evaporationcommences for fast rethermalization.
A microwave transition resonant with the untrappable (1,1) state of 23 Na and far detuned
from all possible 6 Li hyperfine transitions is swept from 1.95 to 1.77 GHz in 11s to eject
hot 23 Na atoms. To obtain a maximally degenerate Fermi sea, all the 23 Na atoms areevaporated away.
F=2 BEC
The amount of cooling possible with this scheme depends on the size of the ’refrigerant’.
The larger the heat capacity of the refrigerant, the more 6 Li we can cool and the colder itwill be. Fig 5-7 shows an absorption image of our F=2 BEC, which contains a respectable
10 million atoms. The size of the condensate in the upper hyperfine state is unsurprisingly
smaller than that prepared in the lower hyperfine (1, -1) state, since now the atoms are
no longer in the absolute ground state and losses are worse. It is useful to note that since
the sodium dye laser is locked close to the D2 line, the evaporation process is very sensitive
to scattered light from the neighboring laser table. Care was taken to mask off all light,
particularly if there were any beam paths that could inadvertently collect scattered lightand direct them at the main chamber.
Quantum degenerate Fermi sea
At the end of sympathetic cooling we obtain a quantum degenerate sample of spin-polarized
6 Li fermions. Fig. 5-8 shows an absorption image of the cold Li cloud taken after ballistic

expansion. Around 15 million Li atoms at a temperature of 0.26 T /TF are obtained.

5.3.2

Cooling near a Feshbach resonance

Close to a Feshbach resonance, two fermions with opposite spin can pair up and populate
the bound molecular state with energy close to the open channel energy. Since the resulting
composite bosons are quite robust (see Chapter 2), they open up a further avenue forcooling - the composite bosons can be directly evaporated to below the critical temperaturefor Bose-Einstein condensation.
The hyperfine structure of 6 Li is shown in Fig. 5-9 as a function of magnetic field. The
various stages involved in cooling are marked from a to f. After sympathetic cooling, weload about 10 million degenerate Li atoms into a tightly focused optical trap (TOT) (a).
Using a microwave pulse, we transfer the Li atoms into the lowest hyperfine state (b) before
ramping up the magnetic field to 822 G (c), close to a broad Feshbach resonance at 834 G.
In its vicinity, interactions can be made very strong, allowing for efficient evaporation. A

58

Figure 5-8: (Color in electronic version) Quantum degenerate sea of spin polarized 6 Li atoms
after 9 ms time-of-flight. The twice-integrated density profile is shown on the right (redjagged curve), fitted to the expected density profile according to Eq. 5.1. Fit parameters
yield a temperature T /TF of 0.26. A gaussian fit to the same density profile yields a χ2 squared value that is still low, but twice higher, in accordance with the expectation of asmooth transition into quantum degeneracy.

very shallow crossed dipole trap with beam waists of about 60 microns (COT) and depthof ≈ 3µK is also turned on at the same time in order to ”catch” the 6 Li2 pairs as theycool. A 1 MHz wide, non-adiabatic radio-frequency sweep around 80 MHz transferred
50 % of the atoms into the (1/2, -1/2) state (d), and after waiting 100ms for the atoms
to decohere, we directly evaporate the two component mixture, by lowering the power of
the TOT. As the atoms cool, they pair (e) and thermally populate the bound molecularstate. Below a critical temperature, the fermion pairs Bose-condense. We lower the opticalpotential logarithmically for 500 ms before switching off the TOT, leaving all the atoms in
the COT. Further evaporation for 200 ms in the COT to a depth of 1.7 µK ensured thelowest temperatures. Absorption imaging after ballistic expansion is done at 730 G on theatomic line (f ).
Shaping magnetic fields
By themselves, the Feshbach coils anti-confine the 6 Li atoms in the relevant hyperfine statesalong the trap axis [40], also the weakly confining axis of the TOT. Additional curvature
has to be provided by the pinch coils. Radial gradients are compensated for by runningcurrent in the nulling coil, and by placing the optical trap in the position where gravity

59

m j = 3/2
3000
2000

1/2

1000
2

2 P3/2

0

- 1/2

-1000

a mF=3/2

Frequencies (MHz)

-2000
-3000

1/2

F=3/2

b

-3/2

f

-1/2

1/2

1500

- 3/2

-1/2

+ 1/2

1/2

1000
500
2

2 S1/2

0

e

d

-500
-1000

c

-1500

- 1/2
0

200

400

600

800

1000

Magnetic Field (G)Figure 5-9: Hyperfine structure of 6 Li at different magnetic fields. Picking up from where
sympathetic cooling left off, the stages for cooling near a Feshbach resonance are indicatedin bold (see text for detailed description).

60

cancels out any remaining vertical gradients. In the end, we managed to create condensatesin a very localized region where all field gradients were zero even with imperfect magnetic
field coils.

5.3.3

6

Li2 pair condensate

The first observation of a 6 Li2 condensate was actually done without transfer into the COT,
and is shown in Fig. 5-10. Ballistic expansion followed by absorption imaging reveals themomentum distribution characteristic of a BEC. Implementation of the COT with its nearly
spherical trapping frequencies came later, necessitated by mode-matching considerations
with the three-dimensional optical lattice. The form of the density profile does not changewith the COT and we obtain about 200, 000 Bose-condensed 6 Li2 pairs. This is the starting
point of all our experiments on fermions in optical lattices.
Lifetime
We investigated the lifetime of the first pair condensate obtained in the COT (Fig. 5-11).
The decay is well fitted by a double exponential with decay times τ1 = 67ms and τ2 = 1s
respectively. While the observed lifetime is rather short relative to previously reported
lifetimes of 10 s [14], it is nonetheless sufficiently long for the experiments documented in thisthesis. The reason for its brevity is most likely misalignment of the two component beamsof the COT relative to each other. A second possibility is the presence of magnetic field
gradients due to the imperfect Feshbach coils (see Chapter 2). Subsequent improvements tothe alignment and magnetic field shaping extended the lifetime to approach several seconds.

5.4

Fitting formulas

From Chapter 4, we have all the information we need to evaluate our cooling of 6 Li . For aquantum degenerate Fermi sea e.g. Fig. 5-8, the spatial distribution of the twice-integrated
density profile is given by [44],n(x) = nF PolyLog5/2 [µ −(x − x0 )2ln(1 + λ)/λ × (1 + λ)]
RF2

(5.1)

where λ = exp[µβ] is a fit parameter. The first integration is done automatically when we
image, and the second integration is done during the analysis.
From this, we can extract the temperature T /TF from λ using the relation


T
TF

3

=−

1
1
6 PolyLog3 (−λ)

61

(5.2)

Figure 5-10: The first observation of Bose-Einstein condensate of 6 Li2 molecules. This
sample was created by evaporating only in the TOT, without transfer into the COT (seetext). The temperature of the final condensate obtained can be varied by evaporating todifferent final optical power. Shown in red jagged lines are density plots of two condensatesat different temperatures after ballistic expansion. Solid blue lines are bimodal fits to thedata, comprising of a gaussian thermal component (separately plotted in a dashed line) anda Thomas-Fermi fit to the BEC. Top plot shows a condensate emerging from the thermal
cloud while bottom plot shows a nearly pure condensate with estimated pair number of
500,000. Insets show absorption images taken along the axial direction.

62

350

Atom Number (a.u.)

300
250
200
150
100
50
0

2

4
Time (s)6

Figure 5-11: Lifetime of pairs in the crossed-dipole trap. The decay is fit to a double
exponential with two characteristic time scales, τ1 = 67ms and τ2 = 1s. For this data,
the background pressure was 1.1 E-10 Torr, and the trapping frequencies of the COT wereνx,y,z = (95, 97, 135)Hz. Error bars show the standard deviation of 5 data points, and last
3 points were excluded from the fit due to slight differences in the condensate production.

63

derived from equating the two different expressions for N , Eq. 4.9 and Eq. 4.17. Notethat this extraction of temperature depends solely on the shape of the cloud, and does not
require previous knowledge of TF .

64

Chapter 6

Effects of Strong Interactions
This chapter examines in greater detail the key obstacle to observing phase coherence of afermi superfluid in an optical lattice. A highly abbreviated version is included in Appendix
E, but due to space constraints much of the material had to be edited out. Here we present
in full the discussions at the time.
In the course of seeking a signature of a superfluid Fermi gas in an optical lattice,
the question arose as to whether or not the standard signature - sharp interference peaks
during time-of-flight expansion - would indeed be observable. This observation relies onballistic expansion, where atoms freely expand with their initial momentum, such that
an absorption image after long time-of-flight yields a snapshot of the initial momentum
distribution. For this description to hold in real systems, scattering events arising frominteratomic interactions have to be minimal. For strongly interacting fermions, the fear
was that collisions would redistribute momentum during the expansion and smear out allevidence of distinct components before they had a chance to separate out.
Interference was first used to prove the existence of a macroscopic order parameter ina BEC [71] and has since become a standard tool in investigations of BECs. However, it
had never previously been observed in a fermionic superfluid system. Thus far, proof ofthe superfluid nature of the Fermi gas have instead been obtained through observations ofanisotropic expansion and condensate fraction inferred from a characteristic density profilein the low-collision limit [13, 14], observation of the pairing gap [72], and the most conclusively through the observation of vortices [73]. With the possible exception of [73], none ofthem required ballistic expansion.

6.1

The Nature of 6 Li Pairs near the Feshbach resonance

To predict how the composite bosons would behave in free expansion, we take a closer lookat their nature. The Feshbach resonance of 6 Li at 834 G is a broad resonance - i.e. one

65

|ai

Energy0|miResonance
shift

Figure 6-1: This figure shows in greater detail the behavior of the binding energy (solid line)
on detuning near a Feshbach resonance. The true resonance position is shifted from thecrossing of the bare molecular state |mi (slanted, dashed line) with the atomic continuum
states |ai (horizontal dashed lines) due to strong coupling. Far away from the resonance,
the pairs are tightly bound and are almost purely molecular in character. Close to theresonance however, the pairs are loosely bound and there is a strong admixture of atomic
character.

that satisfies
kF |R∗ | << 1

(6.1)

where the effective range of the interaction |R∗ | is proportional to the inverse width of the
Feshbach resonance. This implies that the effective range is unimportant at the many-bodylevel, and macroscopic properties of the gas only depend on the dimensionless parameterkF |a|. For the rest of this thesis, 1/kF a, also known as the interaction parameter, will be
used to parameterize our location within the strongly interacting regime.
Other notable characteristics of these composite bosons include
Binding energy Close to resonance, the binding energy of the pairs isb = −

h̄2
ma2

(6.2)

Fig. 6-1 shows how it varies close to the resonance.
Size From Eq. 6.2, the size of the two-body bound state is just the scattering length66

a. However, in a many-body system, a can become larger than the interparticle
separation n−1/3 and therefore ceases to be a relevant length scale. The pairing thenbecomes mediated by the many-body physics, and the size of the pair is rather givenby n−1/3 .
Atomic character Since the coupling is not diagonal in |ai and |mi, the solution |ψi to thecoupled problem H|ψi = E|ψi generally comprises of a superposition of both atomic
and molecular states. Due to the unusually strong coupling for 6 Li , the estimatedfraction of molecular character close to resonance is actually less than 1% [74]. The
large shift in Fig. 6-1 in the resonance position is also a direct result of the couplingstrength. Experimentally, this property is exploited when we image the molecules on
the atomic transition close to resonance.

6.2

Collisions in Unitarity-Limited Fermi Superfluids

When 1/kF a < 1, we enter the strongly interacting regime and a falls out of the determination of scattering amplitude. Eq. 2.4 instead becomes
σ=

4π
k2

(6.3)

1/kF is in turn on the order of interparticle spacing n−1/3 , in keeping with our initialexpectation.
In its simplest case, we would like to understand how a unitarity-limited superfluid
Fermi gas with two distinct and well separated momentum components (∆p on the orderof Fermi momentum pF ) expands. There are two ways to think about this. As we shall see,they are consistent with each other and result in the same observable behavior.

6.2.1

Collisions in a two-component Fermi gas

The strong admixture of the atomic channel in the paired state suggests that we can ignore
their bosonic nature and just treat the problem as that of a two-component, strongly interacting Fermi system. In this case, it has been well established that the high elastic collision
rate can give rise to classical collisional hydrodynamics, independent of pairing. Quantum
statistics play a part only if there are no empty states for the fermions to scatter into andcollisions are therefore Pauli-blocked [75].
The effect of collisions on the phase space distribution f (x, p, t) can be calculated fromthe Boltzmann transport equation [76]
∂f
∂f
+v·
= Γcoll [f ]
∂t
∂x
67

(6.4)

(a)

(b)

p‘

p
p

q

√
2 2mEFqq‘∆p

Figure 6-2: Collisions in a two-component Fermi gas in momentum space. Assume that thetwo components have equal distributions and are labeled with p and q. In (a), there areno empty final states in an isotropic, filled Fermi sea for particles p and q to scatter into.
(b) shows√ two filled Fermi distributions (say distribution A and B) with central momentum∆p = 2mEF apart. Within the gray area, particles from A (e.g. p) can always collidewith a particle from B (e.g. q) into initially empty final states (p’ and q’).

where v = p/m and Γcoll [f ] is the collision integral. The collisions act to restore local
equilibrium, and for sufficiently fast collisional relaxation, would always drive the system
towards an isotropic momentum distribution, leading to the hydrodynamic equations. Collisional hydrodynamics is responsible for the anisotropic expansion of a strongly interacting
Fermi gas [61], where the deformation of the Fermi surface in time-of-flight opens up available states for scattering. As Fig. 6-2 illustrates, the situation we are investigating starts
out already highly anisotropic. No time is needed before the atoms begin to collide andredistribute momentum.

6.2.2

Collisions in a BEC

Alternatively, we could choose to ignore the underlying fermionic nature of the superfluid
6 Li

2 pairs and instead treat them like a regular BEC, keeping in mind the unusually strong

interactions. In that case, they should evolve according to the Gross-Pitaevskii equation
3.3, where the dimer-dimer scattering length has been calculated to be add ≈ 0.6a [77].
Collisions between weakly interacting BEC’s with high relative momenta have been
discussed in the literature [78], and observed [79]. It can be treated by incorporating thenext highest k term in the scattering amplitude, and re-writing the non-linear coupling

68

b

a

Figure 6-3: The effect of collisions on ballistic expansion. (a) shows a time-of-flight imageof a sodium BEC with 5 momentum components, 0, ±2h̄k and ±4h̄k. s-wave halos can beseen between neighboring momentum components, most prominently between 0 and eachof the ±2h̄k momentum components. Faint second order s-wave halos between the ±2h̄kcomponents can also be seen. (b) In the case of strongly interacting fermions, multiple
collisions result in the smearing out of any distinct momentum components.
constant U0 in Eq. 3.3 more generally as
U0 = −

4πh̄2(−a + ika2 )
m

(6.5)

For two condensates colliding with large momentum difference k, the second term becomessignificant and introduces an elastic scattering loss from the colliding condensates into
initially unpopulated states. The beautiful ’s-wave halos’ which have been observed (seeFig. 6-3 (a)) is described thus.
If we extrapolate from this and allow the scattered atoms to re-scatter and undergo
multiple collisions, then even the s-wave halos will smear out, ultimately approaching auniform gaussian, reflecting the isotropy in momentum space. This is the same end result
reached by considering the system as a two-component Fermi gas, and is indeed what we
see in Fig. 6-3 (b).

69

x

730

470

0.78

- 0.06//0

kFa

Magnetic Field (G)

10.1

822

0.15
2
Time (ms)468

Figure 6-4: Experimental sequence of the magnetic field ramp. Ramp down speed is limitedby the clamp voltage of the varister used and ramp up speed is limited by the maximum
voltage of our power supplies. Also shown is the inverse interaction parameter kF a corresponding to each magnetic field for the Kapitza-Dirac experiment.

6.3

Solving the collision problem

6.3.1

Magnetic field ramp

Collisions have been problematic before, when initial observations of anisotropic expansion[61] turned out not to be due to superfluid hydrodynamics, but probably rather to collisionalhydrodynamics [80, 81, 75]. The ambiguity was eventually resolved by a rapid magnetic
field ramp which quickly brought the system out of the strongly interacting regime andcollisions became negligible.
If the magnetic field ramp is sufficiently slow with respect to the coupling, its effectis to transform the loosely bound two-body state close to the Feshbach resonance into a
deeply bound molecular state far from the resonance. Due to the strong coupling in 6 Li ,this condition is always fulfilled. However, the response of the many-body system is muchslower than the field ramp [82], and the deeply bound molecules can be treated as weaklyinteracting bosons having the center of mass momentum distribution of the initial 6 Li2 pairs.
Out of the strongly interacting regime, the persistence of anisotropy then proved superfluid hydrodynamics. After sufficient expansion, the magnetic field can be ramped up close
to the resonance again for imaging on the atomic line. During time-of-flight, the densityof the pairs falls significantly, such that collisions do not recur. This technique was used
to observe the characteristic momentum distributions for a condensate of 6 Li2 pairs shownin Fig. 5-10. The sequence of magnetic field ramp is also shown in Fig. 6-4. With slightdifferences in the specific values, this is the general form of magnetic field ramp commonlyused to study strongly interacting superfluids.

70

10.1

1.0

0.3

kFa

Figure 6-5: Visibility of distinct momentum peaks for different kF a. Within the stronglyinteracting regime (kF a large), the different momentum peaks are smeared out.

6.3.2

Kapitza Dirac scattering at different kF a’s

Using this magnetic field ramp, we perform a simple experiment to study how ballistic
expansion of different momentum components in a 6 Li2 superfluid is affected by collisions,as a function of when they were imprinted. A straightforward way to introduce different
momentum components into the system that relies only on single-particle physics is toperform Kapitza-Dirac scattering [83, 84]. This is very similar to the two-photon Bragg
process described in subsection 3.4.1. The main difference lies in the duration of the lightpulse applied - if it is made very short, then energy is not conserved and the energy spreadis given by ∆E = h/∆t. The atoms can then acquire several momentum components in
multiples of ±2h̄k.
Our light pulse was made up of a single, retro-reflected, 1064 nm light beam, lasting
only 10 µs, with an energy spread of h × 100kHz, imparting momenta of ±15kHz onto thesystem. The shortness of the pulse meant that we could pulse on the light at different valuesof the magnetic field during the 100 to 150 µs field ramp, thereby imprinting momenta at
different kF a. The field ramp for all the experiments are the same, differing only in thetiming of the pulse.
Fig. 6-5 shows the results obtained. Deep in the strongly interacting regime the distinct
momentum components were smeared out into a broad featureless Gaussian, which is almost
isotropic. At kF a ≈ 1, distinct momentum peaks begin to appear, becoming even more
distinct at lower fields, where interactions are weak. For our system, the mean free path ofa weakly bound pair while in the strongly interacting regime (∼ 1/kF ) is always less than
the size of the sample.

71

6.3.3Collisional product?

A natural question to ask is what is the collisional product? The dimers are colliding withenergies h̄2 k 2 /2m which can be larger than the binding energy (Eq. 6.2) close to resonance.
Energetically, it is possible for the dimers could break up into atoms, with each fragment
taking a part of the remaining kinetic energy. Less likely, but still possible, the dimers could
remain bound, and merely heat.
One way to distinguish between atoms and dimers would be to image at low magnetic
fields where the molecular transition is far detuned from the atomic transition. We attempted to do this but unfortunately the results were ambiguous. There was evidence that
there was a slight increase in the atomic signal, but finally signal-to-noise was not goodenough for a firm conclusion. This measurement is also complicated by the fact that even
if the molecules broke apart during a collision, they can easily recombine again during thefield ramp and disappear from the atomic signal.

6.3.4

Interpretation

Collisions within the superfluid are only able to take place if the relative velocities of thecolliding particles exceed the critical velocity. This became the subject of a further investigation, expounded upon in the thesis of Daniel Miller, and appended here in Appendix
F. While details are not provided here, our measured critical velocity of a Fermi superfluid
was indeed much lower than the recoil momentum of 2h̄k.

6.4

Necessity of rapid field ramps

This demonstrates that collisions during the first few moments of expansion of a stronglyinteracting system do inhibit observation of distinct momentum peaks. From [85], theinverse collision rate at unitarity is estimated to be 0.23h̄EF /(kB T )2 , which evaluates to≈ 40µs for a conservative estimate of T /TF = 0.1, faster than we are able to ramp out of
the strongly interacting regime.
In previous studies of strongly interacting Fermi gases, magnetic field sweeps were applied to prevent fermion pairs from dissociating, since Tc drops when density drops. However, it has recently been shown that fermion pairs survive during the first few millisecondsof expansion even on the BCS side of the Feshbach resonance [86]. In the work presented
here, the suppression of collisions early during the expansion required a faster magnetic
field switch off and was necessary on both sides of the Feshbach resonance.

72

Chapter 7

Paired fermions in an Optical
Lattice
In this chapter, I will expand upon the work reported in the publication:
J.K. Chin, D.E. Miller, Y. Liu, C. Stan, W. Setiawan, C. Sanner, K. Xu and W.
Ketterle, ”Evidence for Superfluidity of Ultracold Fermions in an Optical Lattice, Nature443” 961-964 (2006) [87]. Included in Appendix E

7.1

The Promise of Optical Lattices

An easy way to see the potential of fermions in optical lattices is to consider Tc again
for weak attractive interactions. From section 4.2.1, we have TC ≈ 0.28TF eπ/2kF a in thebulk Fermi gas. It is this exponential suppression of Tc with increasing kF a that makes
BCS pairing so difficult to observe in the bulk system. In a periodic system however, thedependence of the exponent changes. For a three-dimensional lattice, it has been predictedthat Tc ≈ te−7t/|U | in a shallow lattice where t >> U , t being the tunneling energy and U
the interaction energy [88, 89]. As the lattice is ramped up, pairing is promoted throughincreased localization, leading to an enhancement of Tc . A turning point in the value of
Tc comes when the localization becomes so strong that it inhibits the establishment ofa macroscopic order parameter necessary for superfluidity. In terms of the microscopic
scattering length a, the maximum Tc has been simulated to be ≈ 0.3TF kF |a|. Tc is now
expected to scale linearly with a, a dramatic improvement over the situation in the bulk.

73

7.2

Optical Lattices

To form a periodic potential for neutral atoms, the easiest way is to use light. Optical lattices
make use of a spatially varying AC Stark shift from far-detuned light and the interferenceof two or more beams to form a conservative and periodic trapping potential for atoms. In
the limit when the detuning of the light ∆ = ω0 − ωlaser is much larger than the decay rateof the excited state, ∆ >> Γ, the dipole potential depends on the intensity profile I(r) as
Vdip (R) =3πc2 Γ
I(r)2ω03 ∆(7.1)

For a gaussian laser beam, the intensity profile for a beam propagating along z isI(r, z) =2P22
e−2r /w (z)2πw (z)(7.2)

where P is power, r is the distance from the axis of propagation, and w is the 1/e2 radius.
q

2 , and the entire beam can be characterized byw and z are related by w(z) = w0 1 + z 2 /zR

the Rayleigh range zR and beam waist w0 which are related by zR = πw02 /λL .
Optical lattices are typically formed by light beams intersecting at their beam waists,
where intensity is at a maximum and the phase wavefronts are parallel. A standard beam
waist of about 100 µm leads to a Rayleigh range on the order of mm’s. For cold atom sizesof less than 100 µm, this ensures that the optical lattice is relatively uniform across theentire sample.
In the simplest configuration, two counterpropagating laser beams will give a dipole
potential of22

Vdip (r, z) = −V0 · e−2r /w0 · sin2 (kL z)(7.3)

where k = 2π/λL is the wave vector of the light and V0 = 4 · (2P/πw02 ) is four times larger
than that of a single beam due to constructive interference.

7.2.1

Non-interacting systems in optical lattices

For a uniform system confined in volume V, the eigenstates to the free Hamiltonian H0 are
just plane waves:
H0 = −

h̄2 2∇2m|pi = eip/h̄xWhen a periodic potential with spatial periodicity of aL is present, the solutions must also
be invariant under translation by a unit aL , differing at most by a phase shift. Assuming a74periodic potential of the form
V

=

kL =

V0
(sin2 (kL x))2πaL

From Bloch’s theorem, the solutions then become
φq,n (x + aL ) = eiqaL φq,n (x)(7.4)

These are the Bloch functions and they are labeled by their band index n and the quasimomentum q. Their energies are plotted in Fig. 7-1. The recoil energy, defined asER =h̄2 π 2
2ma2L

(7.5)

becomes a natural unit for energy, and the depth of the lattice can be parameterized as
V0 = sER(7.6)

From Fig. 7-1, we can get a qualitative understanding of how the dispersion of aperiodic potential changes as a function of lattice depth. For a vanishingly shallow lattice,
the dispersion is just that of a free particle (p) = p2 /2m. As the lattice depth is increased,
gaps begin to open up at the band edges and the bands begin to flatten. Already for a
5Er deep lattice, the lowest band is almost completely flat.
Ground state in a shallow lattice
For a shallow lattice, the problem for H = H0 + V can be solved by perturbation theory.
Since the perturbing periodic potential V has non-vanishing components only between states
spaced kL apart, we need only consider the plane waves |qi, |q ± mkL i where m is an integer.
To solve for the ground state where n = 0, we can already obtain a good approximate
solution by considering plane waves with m = 0, ±1.
The Bloch functions φq,0 are now superpositions of the free-momentum states |qi, |q+kL i
and |q − kL i,
φq,0 =

Xum eimkL x(7.7)

m=0,±1

Tight binding limit
In the situation where the lattice height is high and the tunneling between wells are small,the expression for the dispersion (p) assumes a simple analytic form:

75

10

Energy (ER)

8

6

4

2

0

-2
-1

-0.5

0

0.5

1

Quasimomentum (q)Figure 7-1: (Color in electronic version) Band structure of optical lattice for n = 0 (blue), 1(green) and 2 (red). Solid lines show the level structure of a 5 Er deep lattice, while dottedlines show that of a 1 Er deep lattice.

76

(p) = 2δ[sin2 (

px d
px d
px d
) + sin2 () + sin2 (
)]
2h̄
2h̄
2h̄

(7.8)

where the bandwidth of the lowest band is 2δ and decreases exponentially for large s asδ=√8
ER s3/4 exp(−2 s)
π

(7.9)

and the energy gap between the first and second band becomes√h̄ωL = 2 sER(7.10)

This formalism is easily generalizable to two and three dimensions, and the presence ofan external trapping potential does not significantly change the solution as long as it varies
slowly compared to the lattice period. It can also tolerate weak inter-atomic interactions aslong as they are weak relative to the tunneling. Since spin-polarized fermions are close toan ideal non-interacting gas, the above description has been shown to work well from direct
observations of the Fermi surface filling the first Brillioun zone [90], oscillation measurements[91, 92], and anti-bunching reflecting the Pauli exclusion principle [93].

7.2.2

The single-band Hubbard model

However, the above model fails to capture the physics of phase transitions, when interactions
between particles become significant. This can happen in two ways - in the tight binding
limit, the on-site interactions can dominate over the tunneling energy, and when the s wave
scattering length a becomes so large that interactions can dominate even in a weak lattice.
To treat the first case, a second quantized, microscopic theory of particles in a periodic
potential has been developed. Known as the single band discrete Hubbard model, it was
originally a phenomenological model for studying solid state systems. In its simplest form,
it assumes that the atoms are very cold and only occupy the lowest band of a deep lattice(valid when kT, EF << h̄ωL ). Then the Hamiltonian of the system can be written as
H = −tX †(ci↑ cj↑ + c†i↓ cj↓ ) + U

Xni↑ ni↓(7.11)

i(i,j)

where the indices i and j are over the sites in the lattice, and (i, j) correspond to neighboring sites. The parameter t corresponds to the tunneling, and can be identified with theparameter 1/2δ in the previous model, while the parameter U describes the on-site interactions between two fermions when they are localized on the same site. Using the effective
interaction given by Eq. 3.2, U can be expressed as77

0.042

U/t = 40.028

Figure 7-2: Phase diagram in a square latticefor repulsive interactions in an optical lattice,taken from [88]. On the abscissa is the filling
factor while the ordinate gives temperature.

free

T/TF

N

0.014

AFM
0

d SC
0

0.1

1−n

0.2

4πh̄2 aU=
mZ

dr|ψ0 |4

(7.12)and can take both positive and negative values.
Quantum phase transitions
It is the interplay of t, U and the filling factor ρ in an optical lattice that gives rise to thedifferent ground states (or phases) of the system. At the beginning of this chapter, we saw
how for moderate tunneling and U < 0, a BCS state at much higher Tc ’s become possible.
Additional rich physics also arise for U > 0 (see Fig. 7-2).
U > 0, ρ = 1: Antiferromagnetic ordering If the pairs repel each other and there isexactly one fermion per site, then the lowest energy state for a bipartite lattice (e.g.
cubic) is a regular array of alternating spins (see Fig. 7-3).
U > 0, ρ < 1: d-wave superfluidity A d-wave superfluid is expected to form when thefilling factor is much less than 1 fermion per site. Since this is a suggested pairing
mechanism responsible for high Tc superconductors, it is particularly intriguing.
Limitations of the single-band Hubbard model
One of the limitations of the single-band Hubbard model is its inability to model systems
where the s-wave scattering length is larger than the lattice length scales (aho , aL ). All theaforementioned phase transitions take place at fairly low (T /TF << 1) temperatures, andcurrently, state-of-the-art cooling has been most successful within the BEC-BCS crossover,where temperatures in the bulk phase have reached T /TF ≈ 0.05. However, interactions
within the crossover are in the unitarity regime and single band models no longer suffice,since U can now be on the order of h̄ωL . Moreover, the Feshbach resonances that make itpossible to tune interactions also bring into close proximity a closed channel bound state,

78

(b)

(a)

?
Figure 7-3: Visualizations of (a) antiferromagnetic ordering in a square lattice and (b) spin
frustration in a triangular lattice.

which has to be taken into account explicitly. Some theoretical work is beginning to address
this problem, but as yet there is no real consensus [94, 95, 96].

7.3

Experiments with Strongly Interacting Fermions in Optical Lattices

Our optical lattice setup was inherited from the previous generation of graduate students,
who had set it up to study the physics of bosons in optical lattices [24, 25]. Fig. 7-4 shows
the configuration of all the lattice and optical dipole beams. The details of aligning invisible
lattice beams is given in the thesis of Kaiwen Xu [23] and will not be elaborated on here.
I will only note that our alignment procedure for experiments with 6 Li still began withaligning the beams to the sodium BEC as it was simpler to produce and contained many
more atoms, making it much easier to observe slight perturbations to the sample when theinfra-red beam came close. Fine alignment is then completed using 6 Li2 molecules.

7.3.1

Techniques

Instead I will focus on the additional tricks involved in loading strongly interacting fermions
into an optical lattice. Not surprisingly, this turned out to be more complicated than simply
loading superfluid bosons.
If we restrict ourselves to using ballistic expansion as a diagnostic tool, there are three
ways to know that one has succeeded in loading fermions into an optical lattice without
significant heating. One can observe the sharp edges of a filled Brillouin zone [90] or see
anti-correlation peaks in the second-order correlation function [93]. For superfluid systems
which reside in the ground state of the lattice, an additional signature comes from the

79

a

3
6

4

1,2
5

b

Figure 7-4: The complicated optical setup of the far detuned 1064 nm light, used both forcreating a crossed optical trap and a three-dimensional lattice. Shown in (a) is their relative
paths to the rectangular glass cell, where, in lab terminology, they are (1) tight ODT, (2)horizontal ODT, (3) vertical ODT, (4) left lattice, (5) right lattice, and (6) top lattice. The
top lattice beam is at a 20o angle to the vertical. For the lattice beams, lenses focus theforward propagating beam down before retro-reflection from a mirror. (b) shows the latticegeometry in momentum space and the expected image in time-of-flight.

80

x

730

470

Figure 7-5: The timing sequence that ensures
the ballistic expansion for observation of distinct momentum peaks. By quickly ramping to 470 G, strongly interacting 6 Li2 pairs
are projected into weakly interacting, deeply
bound molecules. The fastest ramp we canachieve is 150 µs due to technical limitations.

//

ODT

Magnetic Field (G)822

Lattice

0

0
0

0.15

2

4

6

8

Time (ms)sudden projection from the lattice ground state into the free momentum states according
to Eq. 7.7, yielding a characteristic interference pattern after ballistic expansion [18]. We
choose to observe the third.
Switch off procedure
During time-of-flight out of the lattice, a very precise timing sequence was used to ensure
optimal fringe contrast (see Fig. 7-5). The optical dipole trap was switched off as soon as
the magnetic field began to ramp down, while the optical lattice potential was kept on until
the magnetic field had fallen sufficiently to take the system out of the strongly-interacting
regime. The latter measure was necessary to solve the problem of collisions, as discussed in
Chapter 6.
In order to determine if the switch off procedure affected the many-body dynamics ofthe system, the other time-scales present in the system has to be considered [44]:√Two body dynamics Given by h̄/hφb |V |φa i ≈ h̄/g0 n, where hV i is the coupling between the molecular and atomic state (Fig. 6-1) [97]. For 6 Li parameters and typicaldensities on the order of 1013 cm−3 , this evaluates to 20 ns.
√
Magnetic Field ramp Given by g0 2πn/∆µḂ ≈ 1.2µs, where Ḃ ≈ 5G/µs for the rateof our magnetic field ramp (Fig. 2-7). Therefore a long range molecule can always
adiabatically follow the field ramp and project into a short range composite boson,thus revealing the center of mass distribution of the pairs within the resonance.
81Fermi energy Evaluates to h̄/EF ≈ 5µs for our Fermi energy of EF = kB × 1.4µK.
Evaporation rate Given by trapping frequency, ≈ 4 ms.
Recoherence rate This is likely bounded by the trapping frequency to be > 4 ms, although there is some dispute [18]. We argue that if the sample has dephased, it has totake the phase information finite time to disseminate throughout the system, and theonly global time scale available is the trapping frequency. Moreover, this is likely alower bound on the time it takes to recohere, since the presence of the lattice impedes
tunneling.
From this analysis, it seems clear that the many body dynamics could not have changedon the time scale of the field ramp either due to further cooling or recoherence. Additional
evidence can be obtained from Fig. 7-10, where the width of central momentum peak isseen to fully recohere only after 500 µs. Previous experiments have also established the
non-adiabaticity of the field ramp with respect to many body dynamics in the bulk [82],and it likely remains true for the lattice system.
Lifetime of pairs at low magnetic fields
The former measure highlights another problem with keeping on any kind of confinement
when ramping magnetic fields out of the strongly-interacting region. During the ramp, theloosely bound 6 Li2 pairs are transferred into deeper bound states which have much shorter
lifetimes. If confinement is tight and density is high, this problem is exacerbated. Since thevolume of the cross dipole trap is small, the numbers are also low and care has to be takensuch that signal to noise is not degraded past resolution.
The most dramatic manifestation of this effect came when we were experimenting withcross-dipole traps of different beam waists. Using a combination of two perpendicularbeams with waists of 20 µm and a 60 µm respectively, we created a crossed dipole trap
and attempted to characterize the condensate obtained using the same field ramp as before.
The high densities and small trap volume resulting from such focused beams meant thatswitching off the COT simultaneously with the ramp down of the magnetic field still resulted
in catastrophic losses (Fig. 7-6) and some short time-of-flight had to be given before starting
the field ramp.
Had we left the COT on until the field had fully ramped down, the 6 Li2 would havefully decayed and heated, leading to the mistaken conclusion that a stable trap cannot bemade from these two beams due to beam profile imperfections etc.

82

a

c

b

d

Figure 7-6: The bimodal signature for a small 6 Li2 condensate can be easily masked by collisional decay during the field ramp. Shown here are three absorption images of a 6 Li2 condensate in time-of-flight from the same crossed-dipole trap, differing only in the elapsed
time t after the turn-off of the trap and before the magnetic field ramp down. (a) showsa characteristic image for t = 0, (b) t = 10µs and (c) t = 50µs. The strong interactions
during the initial expansion quickly lowers the density, resulting in a larger but colder sample. (d) shows a twice-integrated density profile corresponding to (c) demonstrating clear
bimodality.

83

”Squeezing out of fermions”
Another complication surfaced when we began setting up an additional one-dimensional lattice along a convenient axis to study two-dimensional systems (see Chapter 8). At the time,
we were using a large crossed-dipole trap with waists of 80 µm, and trapping frequencies of≈ 50 Hz. Upon imposition of the 1 D lattice with beam waist of 200 µm and repeating theswitch-off procedure as before, superfluidity was lost and no interference fringes were seen.
Puzzlingly, the same lattice beam was well-behaved with bosons.
It turns out that this loss was due to the pairs being ”squeezed out” of the confining
potential and into the axial extent of the lattice beam. The large admixture of atomic
character in the 6 Li2 pairs (section 6.1) implies Pauli exclusion and the imposition of thelattice beam reduces the number of states available for occupation. If the external confinement is very shallow, the fermion pairs will be forced out. By increasing the depth of thecross-dipole trap ten-fold before applying the optical lattice, this problem was solved.

7.3.2

Definition of quantities

To facilitate further discussions, I define commonly used terms and give numerical values
for the quantities used in [87]:Fermi energy The non-interacting Fermi energy of N particles in a harmonic trap is givenbyeEF = (6N )1/3 h̄ω(7.13)

e is average trapping frequency. With 200,000 pairs and trapping frequencies
where ω

ωx,y,z = 2π × (270, 340, 200) Hz, EF = kB × 1.4µK in our system.
Molecular recoil energy Throughout, we will use the molecular recoil energy which issmaller than the atomic recoil by a factor of 2:ER =h̄2 π 2
= 15kHz
4ma2L(7.14)

for 6 Li2 and aL = 532nm. Similarly, lattice depth s will be quoted in units of molecular
recoil. Note that quoted this way, s is a factor of 4 larger than the equivalent number
for atoms in the lattice with the same optical power.
Filling factor The filling factor is the number of particles per site. Due to the external
harmonic confinement, there exists a spatial variation of the filling factor, from a peakvalue in the center to a minimum at the edges. We will define a peak filling factor in84the unitarity regime where all our measurements have taken place and by assumingthat the atoms do not move around significantly when the lattice is applied. From
Eq. 4.29, this is calculated to be

np = 0.89 ≈ 1(7.15)

Note that this is in contrast to the characteristic filling factor that exists within theliterature, defined as [90, 98]
nc =
ζ =

NF d3
ζ3
q

2J/M ωL2(7.16)(7.17)

where ζ is the spatial extent of the wavefunction in the lowest band and J is thetunneling term. It is difficult for us to use this definition, since J is not clearly definedfor a strongly interacting system.
Adiabaticity condition To load atoms into the ground state of an optical lattice without
excitation into the higher bands, the turn on of the lattice has to be slow with respect
to the energy difference to the next highest band. For a non-interacting system, thiscondition for a condensate with zero momentum is given by|hi, q|∆E 2 (q, t)∂H|0, qi| <<
∂t
h̄
dV0
2
⇒
<< 16ER/h̄dt(7.18)(7.19)

where ∆E is the energy difference between the ground state and the first excitedstate. Given recoil energies in the kHz, this condition is easily satisfied. For 6 Li2 , theright hand side evaluates to 4 µs per recoil of lattice depth and our experiment easily
satisfies Eq. 7.19 by ramping to 10 Er in 20 ms.
Again, there is a caveat for a strongly interacting system as as interactions can modify
the dispersion, rendering this condition invalid.

7.4

Superfluidity of 6 Li2 in Shallow Lattices

Notwithstanding the lack of a full theoretical understanding, for a sufficiently shallow lattice, intuition suggests that no drastic changes should occur. If we begin with a stronglyinteracting superfluid of 6 Li2 pairs in the crossover, they should remain so when loaded
into an infinitely shallow lattice. Through quantum mechanical tunneling, the superfluid85

Figure 7-7: Interference fringes of 6 Li pairs
from a three-dimensional optical lattice withs = 4 after 6 ms ballistic expansion. The
dashed circles highlight the areas where second order momentum peaks corresponding tomomentum transfers of 2 h̄(k1 +k2 ) could also
be seen.

maintains a macroscopic order parameter, establishing a fixed phase difference between eachwell. If the lattice is suddenly switched off, this long range phase coherence manifests as
sharp interference fringes after ballistic expansion, reflecting the free-momentum decomposition of the ground state in the optical lattice (Eq. 7.7). This then is the commonly used
experimental signature for inferring superfluidity of atoms in an optical lattice [18].
In the experiment reported in [87], a 6 Li2 condensate held in the cross dipole trap isadiabatically loaded into the three dimensional optical lattice (Fig. 7-4). The lattice islinearly ramped to varying lattice heights before the switch-off procedure allows the atoms
to undergo ballistic expansion.

7.4.1

Phase coherence

Fig. 7-7 shows our main result. The strikingly sharp interference peaks confirms thepresence of long range phase coherence. The observed separation of the peaks in timeof-flight of d = 2h̄k/m also confirms that the relevant mass m is that of a pair, and notof isolated atoms. Assuming that the magnetic field ramp projects long range pairs into
their center of mass without changing the center-of-mass momentum distribution, we haveobtained evidence of superfluidity of ultracold fermions in an optical lattice.
Minimum Phase Space Density and Coherence Length
From the ratio of the width of the peaks to their separation, we can place a lower bound on
the coherence length. Since this derivation neglects broadening mean-field effects, we knowthat it is an underestimate.
Fig. 7.4.1 (a) shows a twice integrated density profile of the interference peaks, while86

(b) is a close-up of the central peak. sep simply scales with the time-of-flight t as
2h̄kL
t
m

sep =

(7.20)

To obtain an approximate expression for width w, we begin with the assumption of aclassical thermal gas in a homogenous volume. Then coherence length is given by the de
Broglie wavelength
λdB = √h
2πmkB T

(7.21)

From [76], the equilibrium distribution for the velocities in the gas is just the MaxwellBoltzmann distributionmf (v) = n2πkB T


σv =

3/2

2

e−m(v−v0 ) /2kB T

q

kB T /m(7.22)(7.23)

where n is density. Assuming perfect ballistic expansion and a negligible initial size, thespatial distribution after long time-of-flight is just f (x → vt). More specifically, the gaussian
width of the spatial distribution is justw = σx = σv t

(7.24)The ratio sep/w can then be expressed as
sep
w

=
=

2h̄kL
mσv
h
√
aL mkB T(7.25)(7.26)

using kL = π/aL . Finally, substituting in Eq. 7.21 and eliminating the temperature dependence from Eq. 7.25, we obtain
λdB
1
=√
aL
2π



sep
w



(7.27)

With this, phase space density may be estimated by
P.S.D. = λ3dB n0(7.28)

n0 = 1/a3L(7.29)We measured the separation of the peaks to be 380µm with gaussian widths of 15µm,
while n0 ≈ 1 from Eq. 4.29. This gives a coherence length of approximately 10 lattice
87

(a)

Figure 7-8: (a) Density profile of the central
and first order interference peaks. The ratio of
sep/w gives a minimum coherence length forthe pairs. The width of the interference peaks
was used instead of the main peak since they
contained smaller numbers and had less meanfield broadening. (b) shows a close up of thecentral peak fitted to a bimodal distribution
comprising of a gaussian and Thomas-Fermi
distribution. It argues further for superfluidity of the 6 Li2 in the optical lattice.

sep

w
(b)

sites and a corresponding minimum phase space density of 103 , which is far in the quantum
degenerate regime.
Strictly speaking, long-range phase coherence does not necessarily imply superfluidity[99, 100]. Traditionally the definition of superfluidity has instead relied on its transport
properties like frictionless flow. In Chapter 8, we will describe in more detail some ongoingexperiments that seek to probe the nature of the strongly interacting fermions in the lattice.

7.4.2

Density profile

In a recent work, an unambiguous way of identifying Bose condensation in an optical lattice
at finite temperature was proposed [101]. The change in the momentum distribution acrossthe condensation phase transition was calculated, taking into account both interactions andthe external trapping potential, and the authors concluded that observation of a bimodal
distribution of the central momentum peak can only arise from the presence of a condensate
in the optical lattice. This addresses the weakness of using sharp interference peaks as proofof the superfluid state, since even uncondensed bosons in the normal state, assuming a coldenough temperature, would exhibit sharp peaks [100].
We show in Fig. 7.4.1 (b) a close up of our density profile which does indeed exhibit
a bimodal distribution, further confirming that we have indeed observed superfluidity offermions in an optical lattice.

88

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

Figure 7-9: A loss of phase coherence is seen when the lattice depth is increased. Shown
here are interferograms for lattice depths (a) 0 Er , (b) 2.5 Er , (c) 4 Er , (d) 5 Er , (e) 6
Er , (f) 7 Er , (g) 9 Er . (g) shows how the interference fringes reappear after first ramping
up to 10 Er , before ramping down to 2.5 Er .

7.5

Loss of Superfluidity in Deep Lattices

As the lattice depth is increased, a loss of phase coherence is seen (Fig. 7-9 (a)-(g)).
Upon lowering the lattice potential, coherence returns, signaled by the reappearance of theinterference peaks (Fig. 7-9 (h), Fig. 7-10).

7.5.1

Visibility

The visibility of the interference peaks can be parametrized quantitatively. Amongst experimentalists in the field, there is widespread use of the quantityv=

NA − NB
NA + NB(7.30)

Here, NA is the number of atoms found at a reciprocal lattice vector (interference peak) and
NB is the number of atoms found an equal distance away, but at a rotated position suchthat it is not at a reciprocal lattice vector. Due to the lack of perfect cubic symmetry, we
introduce an alternative measure of visibility in our work, obtained from fitting the twiceintegrated profile of the interference peaks (Fig. 7-11) and extracting the peak opticaldensity from the fit parameters:
Peak Optical Density ∝ hw
89

(7.31)

Central Peak Width (a.u.)

Figure 7-10: Time needed for recoherence.
Filled symbols denote the central peak widthof the inteferograms. Circles are gaussian
widths, while the diamonds are ThomasFermi widths obtained from a bimodal fit.
Open symbols give the gaussian width of adephased sample, where phase coherence wasdeliberately destroyed during the ramp on of
the lattice.
Ramp Down Time (µs)

Its relation to visibility is made clear by noting that it is equivalent to the numerator in
Eq. 7.30. Eq. 7.31 then defines an unnormalized visibility. Normalization was difficult forour system due to the noisy background in the data.
Using this definition, the unnormalized visibility of the interference peaks may be investigated as a function of lattice depth and magnetic field (Fig. 7-12) and hence interaction
parameter 1/kF a. The disappearance of the peaks can be seen at 5 to 6 Er , when thevisibility falls below 0.1.

7.5.2

Superfluid-Insulator Transition

Far in the BEC limit, the loss of phase coherence of a superfluid in an optical lattice can beunderstood by considering on-site interactions. As the lattice depth is increased, the system
has to pay an increasing energy cost to delocalize due to atom-atom repulsion. Beyond a
critical lattice depth Vc , this cost becomes too high and the atoms arrange themselves in a
regular array, where, for a homogeneous system, each lattice site would contain the same
number of atoms. They choose not to tunnel, although in principle the barriers between sites
are not yet high enough to forbid tunneling. This superfluid to a Mott-insulator transition
was one of the first directly observed quantum phase transitions [18], and comes out of the
Bose-Hubbard model [102, 103].
Far in the BCS limit, the superfluid-insulator transition is also easily understood. Withan average filling factor of one pair of fermions (one spin up and spin down) per site, a lossof phase coherence would imply that we have a band insulator, where the fermions cannot
hop, since they would then have to pay the energy cost to go to the next higher band. Inorder to stay superfluid, the pairing interaction ∆ must be large enough to overcome the

90

h

w

Figure 7-11: Alternative definition of visibility. Represented here is a simulated twice
integrated density profile through the central momentum peak and one pair of interference
peaks. By fitting gaussians to all three peaks on top of a broad gaussian background, we canextract the parameters h and w. Note that h is taken from the top of the broad gaussian
background. From this, we construct a peak optical density that is proportional to hw anduse it as a measure of visibility.

Peak Optical Density (a.u.)

0.4

0.3
840 G
890 G
940 G

0.2

0.1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Lattice Depth (ER)Figure 7-12: Visibility of the interference peaks as a function of lattice depth and interaction
parameter. Surprisingly, the disappearance of fringes does not seem to vary with interaction
strength.

91

8
Figure 7-13: A simplistic U vs. J curve forstrongly-interacting fermions. Here interaction energy U is approximated by 1/2h̄ωLwhile the tunneling term J is calculated fromthe non-interacting band structure. Theircrossing indicates the critical lattice depth
at which the Mott-insulator transition is expected to occur.

J

6
4
U

2
0

0

1

2

3

4

5

band gap h̄ωL , since only in the non-filled bands can there be number fluctuations necessary
for a superfluid phase where a macroscopic order parameter exists.
These two extremes are illustrated in Fig. 7-14. What happens to strongly interacting
fermions within the crossover regime is unclear, but it is likely to be an interpolation of
the two. Vc for bosons has been calculated to be around 13 Er [103], and fig. 7-13 gives a
simplistic estimate of Vc = 3Er for interactions on the order of U = 21 h̄ωL . Our observed
value of Vc ≈ 6Er falls suggestively somewhere in between the two. Recently there has
been numerous of theoretical calculations [94, 95, 96] of the critical lattice depth wherea strongly interacting fermionic superfluid would enter the insulating phase. Due to thestrong interactions, any correct calculation will have to take into account multiple bands,
greatly complicating the physical interpretation of the insulating state. However, there isreasonable agreement with at least one of them [95], and a consensus may emerge before
long.

92

Band Insulator

Mott Insulator

ω
ω
U

+∞

BEC limit

0
On resonance-∞
BCS limit

Figure 7-14: Superfluid-Insulator transition from the BEC to BCS limit for deep lattices.
Far in the BEC limit, a Mott insulator occurs when interactions dominate over tunneling.
Far in the BCS limit, a band insulator occurs for commensurate filling. On resonance, it islikely to be some combination of the two.

93

Chapter 8

Explorations
Strongly interacting fermions in optical lattices is still poorly understood and we have only
scratched the surface of a blossoming field. In this chapter, I will outline our explorationof this fascinating system, summarizing some partial experiments that yielded tantalizing
but inconclusive results, and discuss some future experiments that are imminent, but as yet
unrealized.

8.1

Radio-frequency spectroscopy of 6 Li2 pairs in an opticallattice

It has been predicted that a significant shift of the position of the Feshbach resonanceis possible due to additional confinement from the optical lattice [104]. The confinement
shifts the energy levels of the open channel upwards and not that of the bound level, since
the length scale of confinement is still much larger than the effective range of the closed
channel. The magnetic field where a real two body bound state would not exist is therefore
shifted. This prediction has been supported by measurements of finite binding energies
above the Feshbach resonance using radio-frequency spectroscopy for 1 and 3 D lattices[105]. However, this analysis holds true only if one can treat the optical lattice as an arrayof harmonic potentials, valid only in the limit of deep lattices. Solving the problem for thefull periodic potential is complicated, since now the center of mass and relative coordinates
can no longer be separated. The obvious presence of delocalized pairs in our system as
indicated by long range phase coherence suggests that a full treatment of the problem isnecessary.
Nonetheless, certain qualitative behavior has to be true. At zero lattice depth, no twobody bound state exists above the Feshbach resonance. In a deep lattice, one does exist. Ata critical lattice depth above the Feshbach resonance, there must be a transition between
these two regimes corresponding to when a bound state appears. Experimentally, one way
94scattering length

20000

10000

700

800

900

1000

Magnetic
Field-10000-20000Figure 8-1: (Color in electronic version) Three s-wave Feshbach resonances are shown here,characterized by their diverging scattering length. In red is a12 , centered at 834 G. Herethe hyperfine states of 6 Li is numbered in increasing order of energy (see Fig. 5-9). In green
is a13 centered at 690 G and in blue is a23 , centered at 811 G [39].

of determining its presence would be to perform radio-frequency (rf) spectroscopy on thetransition between one atom in the pair and an initially unoccupied state. A discrepancy
from the bare transition would indicate a shift in the energy of the atom due to either meanfield or pairing effects. To disentangle the two effects requires studying their dependence
on density n. A true two-body bound state would have a binding energy independent ofn, while mean-field shifts scale linearly with n. If both effects are present, then at low n,
the pairing shift is expected to dominate while at higher n, the mean-field shift would takeover.
Unfortunately, it is experimentally difficult to vary density across a wide range, and at
low densities we would begin suffering from poor signal to noise. In addition, rf measurements in 6 Li is complicated by the presence of broad Feshbach resonances between all threecombinations of the lowest three hyperfine states (see Fig. 8-1). This implies that transitions from either state 1 or 2 to the final state 3 could still result in a strongly-interacting
sample. In a tight harmonic trap (an approximation of the individual sites on an optical lattice), the solution to the two-particle problem for varying interaction strengths [106] yields
a binding energy dependence on the two-body scattering length of√ Γ(−E/2 + 3/4)
12=
Γ(−E/2 + 1/4)
a

95

(8.1)

2
1.5

E / hω

1
0.5
500

1000

-0.5

1500

2000 B (G)

-1
-1.5
-2

Figure 8-2: (Color in electronic version) Solid (red) line shows the energy levels of two
fermions in states |1i and |2i interacting with scattering lengths given by Fig. 8-1, while
dashed (blue) line shows the energy levels for atoms in states |1i and |3i. For this simulation,
lattice depth was 6 Er .

The dependence of E on a is plotted in Fig. 8-2 for both the (1,2) and (1,3) state. As canbe seen, there exists finite binding energy for states 1 and 3 in the vicinity of the 834 G
Feshbach resonance which further complicates the interpretation of any observed rf shift.
This is in contrast to the situation in the bulk phase, where no two-body bound state exists
between 1 and 3 above the (1,2) resonance since the (1,3) resonance position is lower. In
terms of the many body interactions, 1/kF |a13 | is already close to 1 at 834 G, and the system
is also no longer strongly interacting. Under these conditions, radio-frequency spectroscopy
has already been used extensively to measure the binding energy of the 6 Li2 pairs [72, 107].
Nonetheless, we present here some very preliminary rf spectra of 6 Li2 pairs in a latticein Fig. 8-3. We measure a confinement induced shift of 11 kHz in a 6 Er deep lattice,which is much less than the value of 78 kHz calculated from Eq. 8.1. As a sanity check,
we measured our transition frequencies in the bulk phase of 25 kHz at 822G and 411 kHz
at 768G, confirming that the binding energies are larger further away from the resonance,even though the absolute values seem to be off by a factor of two from the expected values[72]. While the results are suggestive, interpretation of the spectra is complicated for thereasons discussed above and we stop short of drawing any firm conclusions.

96

(b)

(a)

0.786

0.790

0.78

0.794

0.80

0.82

(d)

(c)

1.10

1.20

1.30

0.80

0.82

0.84

Figure 8-3: Rf spectra on the |2i → |3i transition. (a) is the bare atomic line at 81.7899(1)MHz, where a pure sample of |2i’s and no |3i’s are present. Note how much narrower theline is relative to all the others. (b) shows spectra taken for a 6 Li2 condensate at 822G,
giving a shift of the transition frequency of Eb = 25.3(7) kHz. (c) is again a 6 Li2 condensate,
but at 768G, with Eb = 411(2) kHz, and (d) is taken with the pairs localized in a latticewith 6 Er at 822G, with ∆ν = 11(1) kHz.

97

a

b

aL

aL

Figure 8-4: By using only two (a) or one (b) retroreflected beams, it is possible to enterthe 1 or 2 D regime and study low dimensional physics. While this creates an ensemble ofsuch systems, it has the advantage of signal amplification.

8.2

6

Li2 pairs in two dimensions

On a different front, optical lattices allow easy access to the lower dimensions. A threedimensional system can be made kinematically one (two) dimensional by freezing out two(one) degrees of freedom. In the direction of tight confinement, h̄ω can be much greater thaneither kB T or EF , and the atoms stay in the ground state since they do not have sufficientenergy to reach the next higher state. Since the length scale of the lattice spacing is set by
the wavelength of the light which is typically on the order of a few hundred nanometers,
we can get very tight confinement using very little optical power. Finally, optical lattices
tends to create an ensemble of low dimensional systems (Fig. 8-4), which has the additional
advantage of boosting the signal to noise ratio.
The two-dimensional case is a special one. The introduction to this thesis has alreadypointed out their relevance to the high Tc cuprates. By using a one-dimensional lattice,
we can create precisely this structure, with the additional advantage that we can tune theinterlayer coupling from zero through to infinitely strong. Studies on the behavior of the
6 Li

2 pairs in the BEC-BCS crossover in two dimensions is ongoing, and I highlight here anumber of issues that we would like to resolve.

8.2.1

Phase coherence

In an optical lattice, the possibility of tunneling across different lattice sites complicatesthe definition of dimensionality. If atoms tunnel, the system might only be quasi-2D andphase coherence could be established across the different lattice sites in the third dimension.

98

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

i

j

Figure 8-5: Loss of phase coherence in a 1D lattice. Images shown are for lattice depths
ranging from 0 (a) to 36 Er (j), at intervals of 4 Er .

Kinematically we are easily in the 2D regime since EF is on the order of one Er and withina few recoil we would have satisfied the kinematic criterion.
We determine when the system might enter the true 2D regime by investigating thedisappearance of the interference fringes in a 1D lattice. Qualitatively a similar loss ofcoherence is observed as in the situation with a three dimensional lattice, although thecritical lattice depth Vc differs (see Fig. 8-5). Without detailed analysis, Vc appears to fall
between 20 to 30 Er . Upon ramping the lattice back down, a cold condensate is regained,
indicating once again that the atoms stay in a low entropy state.
We also changed the lattice geometry and made a 1 D lattice by interfering the ingoingleft and right lattice beams which are at 90 degrees to each other. The two beams are
set to have zero-detuning and are phase locked at the frequency source, thereby interfering
to give a lattice spacing of 752nm. From Fig. 8-6, the phase coherence seems to be lostat lower lattice depths, perhaps between 15 and 18 Er . While our observations were notconclusive, it could have been due to additional heating caused by phase noise between thetwo different beams that form the lattice.
At this point, we might be tempted to assume that the pairs are unable to tunnel pasts =25 Er . However, the non-interacting tunneling amplitude t given by Eq. 7.9 evaluates togive a characteristic tunneling time scale of 53 ms. This is comparable to the rate at which
we ramp up the lattice, and is certainly not long relative to the time scale of the experiment.
However, the determination of the microscopic parameters U and J of the Hubbard
model in terms of the macroscopic experimental parameters a and s is not trivial for a
99

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

i

j

Figure 8-6: Loss of phase coherence in a 1D lattice with a larger lattice spacing. Images
shown are for lattice depths ranging from 0 (a) to 18 Er (j), at intervals of 2 Er .

strongly interacting system. For a weakly interacting system of pairs, tunneling amplitude
J is expected to vary as t2 /U which could be much less than t for U > t due to the presenceof virtual transitions of one half of the bound pair to a neighboring site [88].
One intriguing cause of the loss of coherence in a lattice system with finite tunneling
amplitude is the establishment of a Mott phase, where atoms choose not to tunnel dueto the energy cost of on-site interactions. For a bosonic system, this is not predicted tooccur in a 1 D lattice since U can never become large enough to overcome t before thetunneling time scale becomes longer than the experiment. For superfluid fermions however,this transition is possible because of the reduction in the tunneling amplitude [108].

8.2.2

Modification of scattering properties

If we were to attain the two-dimensional limit, one of the first questions that could be asked iswhat happens to the scattering when a > aho ? This in turn determines properties as varied
as dimer lifetime, mean-field energy and superfluid pairing within the BEC-BCS crossover
regime. Preliminary investigations of the lifetime suggested that they are enhanced relative
to the 3D case, but effects due to the additional confinement have yet to be be fully sorted
out.

100

8.2.3A new setup for two-dimensional studies

A recent modification to our setup could open to door to some answers. A new retroreflected lattice with a large beam waist of 200 µm was set up to overlap with the imaging
axis (along with beams 1 and 2 in Fig. 7-4), parallel to the axis of the uniform bias fieldof the Feshbach resonance. While complicated to implement, this new geometry granted us
two new capabilities:• A magnetic field gradient can now be applied along the lattice direction, enablingstudies of transport along the lattice and probes of its excitation spectrum. The presence of undamped Bloch oscillations could yield insight into the tunneling amplitude,
and a resonance in the excitation spectrum would confirm the presence of a Mott
state.
• Imaging perpendicular to the 2 D planes. The radial extent of the strongly interacting
superfluid can be obtained via absorption imaging of the atoms confined in the lattice,giving a direct measurement of the mean-field energy within the crossover regime. A
careful correlation of the presence of a condensate with phase coherence across latticesites could then yield insight into whether or not interference fringes disappear due
to lack of tunneling and dephasing, or due to the destruction of the superfluid.

8.3

6

Li2 pairs in one dimension

Theoretical understanding of one dimensional systems is often better since the systems are
simpler and exact analytics can be obtained, making experiments in 1D more predictable.
Particularly for strongly interacting systems where computations in higher dimensions might
be difficult, 1 D systems would be a good first step.
One of the more intriguing theoretical predictions involve pairing with a finite momentum when the Fermi seas of the two spin states are not balanced. Also known as theFulde-Ferell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) state [109, 110], it postulates that the in the presence of an imbalance, some of the fermions can pair with finite momentum, giving rise to a
spatially varying order parameter. This would truly be a novel superfluid phase. Beautiful
work with imbalanced systems have already been done in 3 D [111] but so far observationsof finite momentum pairing have been elusive. In 1 D however, there exist predictions [112]that the fraction of finite momentum pairs would be much higher and therefore much easily
observable. A qualitative signature would involve observing a phase separation between the
fully paired fraction and the excess fermions, where contrary to the 3D scenario, the trapped
spatial distribution would show the fully paired fraction residing outside the spin-polarized
fraction.
101

8.3.1

Possible setup for seeking the FFLO state in one dimension

By merely blocking the top lattice beam and tightly confining with the left and right retroreflected lattice beam, we can have a system of 1 D tubes with long axis aligned vertically.
By performing phase contrast imaging perpendicular to the tubes, the relative positionsof the polarized and unpolarized fractions would yield a clear qualitative signature of the
FFLO state in 1D.

102

Chapter 9

Conclusion
9.1

Final thoughts

It is with bittersweet feelings that I end this thesis and my stint as a graduate student.
My departure coincides with that of all others who endured the rigors and vagaries of anew-old machine. With our departure goes the vast store of knowledge accumulated fromexperience, leaving behind distillates like this one.
Yet I believe the best is yet to be. During my tenure, I have witnessed and participatedin the lab’s acquisition of a vision. Now the changing of the guard liberates the newgeneration to realize this vision without the encumbrance of history. My doctorate was oneof construction and achievement. I wish for those after me to have one of discovery andunderstanding.

9.2

Future challenges

The main goal of this lab is to harbor the ideal ”artificial crystal”, infinitely flexible ingeometry and tunability of parameter, making possible fast and reliable simulations ofvarious Hubbard models from condensed matter physics. Before that can be achieved
however, there are several more challenges. Here I outline a few:

9.2.1

Accessing the repulsive branch

We currently do not have access to the half of the phase space where temperatures are
low and U > 0. Close to the broad Feshbach resonance where the coldest temperaturesof <0.1 T /TF were reached and Bose-Einstein condensates of 6 Li2 observed, the strong
coupling between the atomic and molecular states will always project the long range dimers
into deeply bound molecules when we ramp across the resonance. The challenge is tobreak these molecules without increasing entropy. Possible methods include using Raman
103

transitions and resonant magnetic field modulation to couple back from the molecular to
the atomic manifold.

9.2.2

Thermometry

Measurement of temperature in an optical lattice has to be improved. During adiabatic
ramp on of the lattice, some heating is likely incurred, as evidenced by an increased thermal fraction when the lattice is ramped back down again. In this thesis, I have avoided
quantifying the temperature within the lattice for want of a good thermometer. This has
to change if accurate mapping of the system’s phase diagram is to be done. Currently, thebest methods of quantifying temperature involves measuring filling within each lattice site[105].

9.2.3

Detection

Finally, various detection techniques for the expected phases have to be developed. Noise
correlation [113] has been proposed as an excellent candidate for observing the ordering ofatoms in an optical lattice, but this is unlikely to work easily for 6 Li systems due to the large
region of strong interactions and the finite time required to exit it. Another requirement forthis technique - shot noise limited imaging, is also not currently within our grasp, though
improvements are ongoing.
A more promising method might be to perform Bragg spectroscopy. By shining in lightat angles that fulfill the Bragg condition for constructive interference in the reflected signal,
the angle of light detection could also reveal the ordering of atoms within the crystal.

104

Appendix A

Amplification of Local Instabilities
in a Bose-Einstein Condensate
with Attractive Interactions
This appendix contains a reprint of Ref. [50]: J.K.Chin, J. M. Vogels, W. Ketterle, Amplification of Local Instabilities in a Bose-Einstein Condensate with Attractive Interactions,Physical Review Letters 90, 160405 (2003).

105

VOLUME 90, N UMBER 16

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PHYSICA L R EVIEW LET T ERS

Amplification of Local Instabilities in a Bose-Einstein Condensate with Attractive Interactions
J. K. Chin, J. M. Vogels,* and W. Ketterle†
Department of Physics, MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms, and Research Laboratory of Electronics,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139(Received 20 December 2002; published 24 April 2003)
We study the collapse of large homogeneous Bose-Einstein condensates due to intrinsic attractive
interactions. We observe the amplification of a local instability by seeding a momentum state p andsuddenly switching the scattering length negative via a Feshbach resonance. We also observe theappearance of atoms in the conjugate momentum state as required by momentum conservation. For
large condensates, the time scale for this depletion process becomes faster than that for global collapse.
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.90.160405

Our current understanding of the collapse of BoseEinstein condensates (BECs) with attractive interactions
is incomplete. While the experiments in 7 Li provided
many insights into the formation kinetics and stability[1], it was not until the discovery of externally induced
Feshbach resonances [2] that it became possible to tune
the value of the scattering length and study in detail theeffects of an attractive mean field potential. This technique was used by Donley et al. to study 85 Rb with anegative scattering length, and they have observed rich
dynamics inherent in the collapse of the condensate.
Among the most intriguing observations were the formation of low energy ‘‘bursts’’ which were ejected out of thecondensate [3]. While theoretically the enhancement of
quantum fluctuations could give rise to such phenomena[4 –6], there is currently no consensus on the exact
mechanism by which it occurs.
Thus far, theoretical developments have been limitedby having only one experimental testing ground. The
experiments using 85 Rb were done using small condensates ( ! 15 000 atoms), where the attractive mean fieldenergy ! is comparable to the h!
! level spacing of theharmonic trapping potential. In this paper, we study thecollapse of large sodium condensates far in the ThomasFermi regime (j!j " h!),!
where the spatial profile of thecondensate is relatively homogeneous. Much of the dynamics of such a system is then described by local phenomena. When the interactions become attractive,
Yurovsky [5] predicts that local instabilities with momentum on the order of the (imaginary) speed of sound will
undergo exponential growth. Simultaneously, momentum
conservation requires atoms to be generated in conjugate
momentum states. Since amplification happens on thetime scale of the chemical potential h=!, the resulting
quantum evaporation of the zero momentum condensate
atoms can happen faster than the global collapse where
the whole condensate ‘‘implodes.’’
We probe for local instabilities by seeding a particular
momentum state with an initial population, then suddenly
switching the scattering length negative via a Feshbachresonance. At the same time, the trapping potential is160405-1

0031-9007=03=90(16)=160405(4)$20.00

PACS numbers: 03.75.Kk, 34.50.–s, 32.80.Pj

turned off, so all subsequent dynamics are due only to theintrinsic attractive interactions. The resulting amplification and the associated generation of atoms in the conjugate momentum state verifies the theory. We end with a
discussion on the different collapse time scales of competing processes and show that, for large condensates,
this decay channel becomes dominant.
The theoretical basis for the amplification of local
instabilities is the dispersion relation for the elementary
excitations in a Bose-Einstein condensate:s!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"
#!
jpj2
jpj2
"#p$ %;(1)
2n0 U &
2m
2m
where n0 is the density, U % 4#h! 2 a=m % !=n0 is thecontact potential, a is the scattering length, and m isthe atomic mass. For an elementary excitation whose
momentum satisfies jpj2 =2m < 2j!j, an instability forms
when ! < 0 (i.e., a < 0) and oscillatory behavior gives
way to exponential growth or decay. A formal derivation
gives the evolution of these low momentum modes as
h$yp $p i#t$ %jUn0 j2
sinh2 '%#p$t(;
h! 2 %2 #p$(2)

where the growth rate %#p$ is given by j"#p$j=h! [Eq. (1)]when a < 0 [5] and $p is the destruction operator formode p. The instability of the mode pair (p, )p) resultsin correlated growth, where the creation of an atom in the&p state is accompanied by the creation of an atom in the)p state. A similar phenomenon is also responsible forthe four wave mixing process observed in [7,8]. At higher
momentum, the energy becomes real again as the excitations now have enough kinetic energy to stabilize themagainst the attractive interactions.
In our experiments, we created large cigar-shaped
sodium condensates in the F % 1, mF % )1 spin statewith typical atom numbers of !30 million and peakdensities of 3 * 1014 cm)3 in a Ioffe-Pritchard magnetic
trap. Following this, they were adiabatically loaded into amode-matched 1064 nm cylindrical optical dipole trapwith trapping frequencies of 250 and 2 Hz and held for 1 s
 2003 The American Physical Society

160405-1

VOLUME 90, N UMBER 16

PHYSICA L R EVIEW LET T ERS

to allow transient excitations to damp out. In the next
117 ms, the axial magnetic field was ramped up to anintermediate value just short of the 1195 G Feshbachresonance [9]. Two pairs of coils coaxial with the condensates contributed to the bias field: The bias coils
produced a large field of !1200 G and the pinch coils
produced a small field of ! " 8 G. Since their mutual
inductance was small, the small pinch coils could beswitched off suddenly to jump up the field in under
10 !s with a negligible adverse effect on the bias field( # 1 G). By changing the intermediate field value, wewere also able to tune the scattering length a continuously
from the background scattering length a0 to zero to arbitrary negative values. The reproducibility of the resulting
magnetic field was 0.4 G. At this point, the condensates
were slightly compressed by a small axial magnetic fieldcurvature, giving them radial and axial dimensions of!15 p!m
and! 1.5 mm, respectively, and a speed of sound!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
c $ Un0 =m of 8 mm=s.
We imprinted a low momentum excitation onto a stablecondensate (a > 0) using a two photon optical Bragg
transition to couple atoms from the zero momentum state
to a low momentum state p [10]. The Bragg beams werepulsed on for 400 !s and were directed at an angle of 15%
and 20% , respectively, from the long axis of the condensate, creating phonons propagating with a momentum ofm & 2:5 mm=s in a predominantly radial direction. With
this momentum p, the minimum value of jaj required for
amplification to happen is estimated to be "0:06 nm. The
beams were red-detuned from the sodium D2 line by 3 nm
to minimize Rayleigh scattering, and had a frequency
difference of !! $ 2" & 700 Hz.
At this point, we changed the scattering length asuddenly and entered the Feshbach resonance by turning
off the pinch coils. This technique reduced the time
available for three-body decay, thereby overcoming the
problematic high loss rate first observed by Inouye
et al. [2] and gave us a well-defined initial condition
similar to that in [3]. At the same instant, we also turned
off the optical trapping potential to allow the system to
evolve under its intrinsic attractive interactions. After avariable time of 0 to 1 ms, the magnetic fields were
switched off, causing the scattering length to become
positive again. Following 6 ms of ballistic expansion, apump pulse from F $ 1 to F0 $ 2 was applied. Radialabsorption images providing the momentum distributionof the condensates were taken on the F $ 2 to F0 $ 3
cycling transition .
The images in Fig. 1 probe the radial dynamics of thecondensates and provide dramatic visual verification ofquantum evaporation. Figure 1(a) shows the 'p excitations moving out of the condensate without any amplification. In contrast, Fig. 1(b) was taken after thecondensate had been held at a $ "0:82 nm for 600 !s.
Not only was the number of atoms in the 'p momentum
state significantly amplified, it was accompanied by theformation of excitations in the "p momentum state, here
160405-2

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FIG. 1. Amplification of unstable excitations in a BEC witha < 0. In (a), the unamplified 'p excitations are shown moving out of the condensate after 6 ms ballistic expansion. In (b),the 'p excitations have been amplified and are accompaniedby the formation of "p excitations after 600 !s of hold time ata $ "0:82 nm. The field of view is 960 !m by 100 !m. The
insets show a radial optical density profile in arbitrary units
averaged over a !100 !m long section of the condensate which
was relatively uniform.

seen moving out of the condensate in the opposite direction. These observations clearly demonstrate the instability of a condensate with negative scattering length.
Because of the large aspect ratio of our condensates,
only part of the condensate could be imaged at highmagnification. However, since the 'p and "p excitations
were created predominantly in the radial direction, thiswas not a limitation. The small ‘‘kinks’’ that were also
apparent in our condensate are most likely a result ofimperfections in our optical dipole trap. Yet, rather thandegrade the signal, they highlight the parallel contours
between the condensate and the ridge of excitations as
atoms move out with a definite momentum.
In order to perform more quantitative tests of thisphenomenon, we first characterized the negative scattering length dependence on the field by directly probing thestrength of the attractive interactions. As before, opticallytrapped condensates close to a Feshbach resonance wereprepared. The confining infrared laser beam was thenreplaced with a repulsive 3 nm blue-detuned ‘‘antitrap’’
beam as we simultaneously jumped to negative scattering
lengths. At the right intensity I, the antitrap beam provided the correct amount of repulsive dipole force needed
to compensate for the attractive interactions within thecondensate and suppressed any global contraction of size.
However, this is an unstable equilibrium and any sloshingof the condensate or misalignment of the laser beamcaused the condensate to be repelled. Therefore the antitrap was fine aligned to milliradian accuracy such that acondensate with a > 0 was ripped apart radially into ahollow cylinder. Using this method, we were able tostabilize an attractive condensate for 0.2 to 2 ms, depending on a(B), before unavoidable losses became significant.
160405-2

4

500

2
0

0

-2

Mode Population (a. u.)

6a (nm)

Light Intensity (a.u.)

0.010

8

1000

-500
1195

-4
1200

1205

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PHYSICA L R EVIEW LET T ERSVOLUME 90, N UMBER 16

1210

1215

0.005

0.000

1220

+p
-p

0

200

400

600

Magnetic Field (G)Time (µs)

FIG. 2. Characterization of the Feshbach resonance. The lightintensity needed to balance out the interatomic interactions
gives the dependence of the scattering length on magnetic field.
The solid line is a fit to the data.

FIG. 3. Amplification of excitations in a BEC with a < 0.
The growth of the normalized mode population in both %p and&p modes as a function of hold time at a ! &1:35 nm is fitted
to an exponential dependence according to Eq. (2), which gave
a common growth rate of 5:89 ( 0:83 ms&1 . A variable offset
accounted for the initial seeding of the %p mode.

160405-3

large error bars reflect the high sensitivity of the dynamics to the magnetic field. In particular, the inelastic loss
rates as a function of a have not yet been well characterized, which limits the accuracy of our data.
The results presented here prove conclusively thatquantum evaporation is part of the complex dynamics
that occur during the collapse of an attractive condensate.
While we select a particular mode for observation, theeffect is predicted to happen for all modes satisfying
jpj2 =2m < 2j!j. At short times, the pairwise emissionof atoms also implies that the number of atoms in the
conjugate mode pairs will be exactly correlated, although
as the condensate becomes increasingly depleted, higher
order effects will degrade the correlation [5].
Since quantum evaporation is intrinsic to the condensate, a natural question to ask is how large a part it playsin the unperturbed collapse of the condensate. From [5],the depletion of the condensate density n0 is given by

10

Growth Rate ( ms-1)

The radial dimension was used to monitor the mechanicaldynamics of the condensate occurring on the 250 Hz timescale of the trap frequency. For minimal distortion of thespatial image, absorption images were taken after only
2 ms of ballistic expansion necessary for the high magnetic fields to die out.
In equilibrium, a / Fattractive ! Frepulsive / I, and we
obtain the scattering length dependence on the magnetic
field by plotting I vs B (Fig. 2). A red-detuned laser beamwith a similar detuning of 3 nm was employed to obtain
the points for positive a. By fitting the expected Feshbach
curve a"B# ! a0 $1 % "!B#="B & B0 #' to our data, we findthe width !B of the resonance to be "2:4 ( 0:4# G which
determines the range of the magnetic field we have towork within [11]. Here, a0 ! 3:3 nm is the triplet scattering length at high fields [12].
A quantitative analysis of the growth in the %p and &pmodes was performed by monitoring their occupation
number as a function of hold time in the attractive regime(Fig. 3). The number count per mode was normalized to
the number of atoms in the condensate at the end of thehold time to account for the high loss of atoms during thisprocess due to inelastic collisions [13]. The maximum
duration of amplification was limited by the lifetime of
the condensate, which was about 600 !s for a !
&1:35 nm. Following Eq. (2), an exponential dependence
was fitted to the data, yielding a common growth rate of" ! 5:89 ( 0:83 ms&1 for both modes. This agrees wellwith the theoretical value of 5:57 ms&1 , estimated using
our initial mean field of h ) 5 kHz.
We also investigated the dependence of the growth rateon the strength of the interactions. By varying thescattering length and extracting " as above, we observeda strong increase of " with jaj (Fig.
4). A fit to thep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
theoretical prediction ""p# ! b1 jaj & b2 [Eq. (1)]yielded the fit parameters b1 ! "1:11 ( 0:14# )108 nm1=2 ms&1 and b2 ! 0:078 ( 0:04 nm, in agreementwith theoretical estimates of 1:55 ) 108 nm1=2 ms&1 and0.06 nm, respectively. For this sequence of measurements, the initial mean field was ! ! h ) 4 kHz. The

8
6
4
2
0

0

1

2

3

|a| (nm)
FIG. 4. Growth rate of excitations in a BEC with a < 0. The
rate increases with the magnitude of the negative scattering
lengthjaj. !The solid line shows a best fit to the predictedp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
b1 jaj & b2 dependence.

160405-3

r!!!!!!!!!
2!h! 2 2n_ 0 ! "4!
a n0 exp#8!hjajn
0 t=m$:
mt(3)

Using our parameters, we extract the time t1=e taken for
n0 to decay to 1=e of its original value and compare it tothe observed time taken for the condensate to decay
without initial seeding until it is no longer discernable(using a visibility threshold of about 10% to 20%) in
Fig. 5. As both the number of unstable modes and theamplification rate increase with a, there is a significant
decrease of t1=e with jaj. We also considered the effect of
the initial quantum depletion ( % 1%, [14]) on t1=e , but
concluded that its impact is small.
In addition, we compare the observed collapse time tothe decay time predicted for global collapse. This implosion corresponds to the unstable monopole mode and may
be qualitatively described by Eq. (1) if we assume amomentum equal to h! times the inverse size of the condensate. However, the global collapse is more accurately
described by accounting for the inhomogeneous spatial
profile of the condensate. The inherent pressure gradient
will cause the condensate to collapse inwards and theresulting compression causes the density to increase andsharply enhance the three-body recombination loss rate,
which goes like n20 . We model the
R radial evolution using
the mean squared radius R ! r2 j #r$j2 r dr. For our
cylindrical condensates with an aspect ratio of 100:1,
an analytical solution for the resulting 2D dynamics
exists [15,16], given by R" ! 4#mE " !2 R$, where E is thetotal energy of the system. Since ! ! 0 and da
dt ! 0 in our
experiments, E is conserved and determined from initialconditions. The time taken to reach R ! 0 isr!!!!!!
1 a0
tdecay !
:(4)!0 jajEquation (4) is also plotted in Fig. 5 and its intersection
with t1=e separates the graph into two domains. For small
jaj, global collapse is predicted to dominate over quantum
evaporation while the converse is true at larger jaj. This is
explained by noting that the decay of the condensate isdominatedp!!! by the amplification of unstable modes withpmax ! 2mjcj ! h=",!
where " is the value of the(imaginary) healing length [Eq. (1)]. When " is comparable to the condensate size, the local description isinvalid and global collapse occurs. In the Thomas-Fermi
limit, however, " is small and local instabilities deplete
the condensate much faster than global collapse. This isconsistent with our observations in Fig. 5. We were unable
to study the condensate lifetime at even more negative
scattering lengths since the condensate then decayed almost instantaneously. To realize a global collapse time
much slower than t1=e would require a combination of a
weak trap with a high number of atoms, which is currently out of reach.
In conclusion, we have shown that large condensates
far in the Thomas-Fermi regime undergo amplification of
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Collapse Time (ms)VOLUME 90, N UMBER 16

2

0
0

1

2

3

4

5

Scattering Length (nm)FIG. 5. Time scales for BEC decay. The observed collapse
time is compared to the time taken for the condensate density
to fall to 1=e of its original value (t1=e ) due to instability
amplification [solid curve, Eq. (3)] and the expected tdecay for
global collapse [dashed curve, Eq. (4)].

local instabilities when their scattering length becomes
negative. We have studied the dependence of amplification
rate on the magnitude of the negative scattering lengthand found reasonable agreement with the theory. For ourparameters, this quantum evaporation process becomes
faster than the global collapse.
We thank K. Xu, T. Mukaiyama, and J. R. Abo-Shaeer
for experimental assistance, J. Anglin for valuable comments, and A. E. Leanhardt and Z. Hadzibabic for criticalreading. This work was funded by ONR, NSF, ARO,
NASA, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

*Present address: Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, ENS, Paris.
†
Group website: http://cua.mit.edu/ketterle_group/[1] J. M. Gerton et al., Nature (London) 408, 692 (2000).
[2] S. Inouye et al., Nature (London) 392, 151 (1998).
[3] E. A. Donley et al., Nature (London) 412, 295 (2001).
[4] R. A. Duine and H. T. C. Stoof, Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 2204
(2001).
[5] V. A. Yurovsky, Phys. Rev. A 65, 033605 (2002).
[6] E. A. Calzetta and B. L. Hu, arXiv:cond-mat.
[7] L. Deng et al., Nature (London) 398, 218 (1999).
[8] J. M. Vogels et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 020401 (2002).
[9] J. Stenger et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 2422 (1999).
[10] J. Stenger et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 4569 (1999).
[11] We observe the resonance around 1208 & 10 G, which
agrees with the theoretical value within the systematic
error of the magnetic field calibration which was done at
low fields using rf spectroscopy.
[12] C. Samuelis et al., Phys. Rev. A 63, 012710 (2000).
[13] This is an approximation, since the loss rates for condensate and noncondensate atoms are different due toquantum statistics.
[14] K. Huang, Statistical Mechanics (Wiley, New York,
1987).
[15] Y. Kagan et al., Phys. Rev. A 54, R1753 (1996).
[16] Y. Kagan et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 2604 (1997).

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Appendix B

Bogoliubov calculations
Beginning from the Bogoliubov transformation Eq. 3.7 and the Hamiltonian in diagonalforms

H = ε(q)b†q bq , ε(q) =c2 q 2 + (

q2
)
2m

(B.1)

The equations of motion for aq and a†−q can be obtained from the time-dependent Schroedinger
equation,
daq
dt

=
=

i
[H, aq ]h̄i[H, ubq − vb†−q ]
h̄

..
.

da†−q
dt

i q2
+ U )aq + U a†−q ]= − [(
h̄ 2m
i q2
=
[(
+ U )a†−q + U aq ]h̄ 2m

The solution of the two coupled equations yields solutions
aq (t) = f (t)aq (0) + g ∗ (t)a†−q (0)a†−q (t) = f ∗ (t)a†−q (0) + g(t)aq (0)f (t) = cosh[λt] −g(t) =i q2(+ U ) sinh[λt]h̄λ 2miUsinh[λt]h̄λThe growth of the mode haq a†q i(t) is given bya†q aq (t) = |f |2 a†−q a−q + |g|2 a−q a†−q + f ga†−q a†q + gf aq a−q110

If the initial occupation of all modes is zero, then only the second term contributes and the2expression reduces to |g|2 = Uλ2 sinh2 [λt], which is exactly Eq. 3.9. Otherwise, it depends on
all the terms, including the cross terms haq a−q i and ha†−q a†q i. These can also be calculated
and here I will just give their final forms:ha†q aq i = v 2 = ha†−q a−q iha†−q a†q i = −uv = haq a−q i
Finally, collating all results givesa†q aq (t) = |f |2 v 2 + |g|2 (v 2 + 1) − 2Re(f g)uv
where
|f |2 = cosh2 [λt] +|g|2 =
Re(f g) =1 k2( + U )2 sinh2 [λt]λ2 2U2sinh2 [λt]λ2
U k2
( + U ) sinh2 [λt]
λ2 2

111

(B.2)

Appendix C

Formation of Quantum-Degenerate
Sodium Molecules
This appendix contains a reprint of Ref. [19]: K.Xu, T. Mukaiyama, J.R. Abo-Shaeer,
J.K.Chin, D.E. Miller, W. Ketterle, Formation of Quantum-Degenerate Molecules, PhysicalReview Letters 91, 210402 (2003).

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Formation of Quantum-Degenerate Sodium Molecules
K. Xu, T. Mukaiyama, J. R. Abo-Shaeer, J. K. Chin, D. E. Miller, and W. Ketterle
Department of Physics, MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms, and Research Laboratory of Electronics, MIT,
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA(Received 1 October 2003; published 21 November 2003)
Ultracold sodium molecules were produced from an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate by ramping anapplied magnetic field across a Feshbach resonance. More than 105 molecules were generated with aconversion efficiency of !4%. Using laser light resonant with an atomic transition, the remaining atoms
could be selectively removed, preventing fast collisional relaxation of the molecules. Time-of-flightanalysis of the pure molecular sample yielded an instantaneous phase-space density greater than 20.
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.91.210402

PACS numbers: 03.75.Nt, 32.80.Pj, 33.80.Ps, 34.20.Cf

Atomic Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) provide a
new window into macroscopic quantum phenomena [1].
A molecular condensate could lead to a host of newscientific explorations. These include quantum gaseswith anisotropic dipolar interactions, tests of fundamental symmetries such as the search for a permanent electric
dipole moment, study of rotational and vibrational energy
transfer processes, and coherent chemistry, where reactants and products are in coherent quantum superposition
states. So far, the highly successful techniques for creating atomic BEC have not led to success for molecules.
Laser cooling is difficult due to the complicated levelstructure of molecules [2], and evaporative cooling requires the preparation of a dense gas of molecules, whereelastic collisions dominate inelastic collisions.
Alternative techniques, such as buffer gas loading [3]and Stark deceleration [4], have been successful in obtaining cold molecules. Yet these methods are still far
from achieving the requisite phase-space density for
BEC. The difficulty in cooling molecules directly canbe circumvented by creating ultracold molecules fromquantum-degenerate atomic samples. This requires molecule formation without release of energy, which can beaccomplished either by photoassociation [5] or by ‘‘tuning’’ a molecular state via a Feshbach resonance [6] to bedegenerate with the atomic state. A Feshbach resonanceoccurs when an applied magnetic field Zeeman shifts amolecular state to zero binding energy. By ramping an
external field across a Feshbach resonance from negative
to positive scattering length, translationally cold molecules in high vibrational states can be created adiabatically [7–9].
The first observation of a Feshbach resonance in ultracold atoms showed a high rate of atom loss [6,10].
Theories accounted for this loss by assuming the formation of ultracold molecules [7,8,11]. These molecules werepredicted to decay vibrationally in less than 100 !s due
to a two-body rate coefficient of order 10"10 cm3 =s.
Because of this, no successful attempt was made to detecta molecular signature until atom-molecule beats wereobserved in 85 Rb, lasting about 100 !s [12]. Recent fermion experiments using magnetic field sweeps have ob-served molecules with lifetimes approaching 1 s [13–16].
Until now, similar experiments with bosons have been
carried out only during ballistic expansion [17,18].
According to theory, the decay of molecules composedof fermionic atoms is suppressed by Pauli blocking [19],whereas molecules composed of bosons decay rapidly.
This could explain the low conversion efficiency of about
5% for bosons, compared to > 50% for fermions, wheremore adiabatic field ramps are possible.
If highly degenerate atoms (both fermionic and bosonic) are converted adiabatically to molecules, the molecules can be created at a phase-space density exceeding
2.6, the critical value at which a uniform, ideal Bose gas
condenses [20]. Previous experiments [14,18,21] havemeasured or estimated conditions close to or aroundthis critical phase-space density.
Here we report the production of trapped sodium molecules from an atomic BEC. The initial phase-space density of the molecular sample was measured in excess of
20. High phase-space density could only be achieved by
rapidly removing residual atoms, before atom-molecule
collisions caused trap loss and heating. This was accomplished by a new technique for preparing pure molecular
clouds, where light resonant with an atomic transition
selectively ‘‘blasted’’ unpaired atoms from the trap. In
contrast to spatial separation via a Stern-Gerlach method[17,18], this technique can separate out the molecules
faster and does not require a large difference in themagnetic moments of the atoms and molecules.
To generate the molecules, sodium condensates in the
jF # 1; mF # "1i state were prepared in an optical dipole trap. The radial and axial trap frequencies of !r #2" $ 290 Hz and !z # 2" $ 2:2 Hz, respectively, gave
Thomas-Fermi radii of Rr # 5 !m and Rz # 650 !m,and a peak density of 1:7 $ 1014 cm"3 for 5 $ 106 atoms
atoms. An adiabatic radio frequency sweep was used totransfer the atoms into the j1; 1i state, which has a 1 G
wide Feshbach resonance at 907 G [6,22].
After 1 s equilibration in the optical trap, the molecules
were generated using the field ramping scheme illustrated
in Fig. 1(a). An applied magnetic field was ramped in!100 ms to 4 G below the 907 G Feshbach resonance.

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The field was generated using a pair of large bias andsmall antibias coils. Because molecules are only created
when sweeping across the resonance from negative topositive scattering length, the field was stepped up to
913 G as quickly as possible (!1 !s) to jump over the
resonance with minimal atom loss. After allowing 2.5 ms
for transient field fluctuation to damp out, the field wasramped down in time "down . Because of atom-molecule
coupling, part of the atomic population was transferred
into the molecular state following the Landau-Zener
avoided crossing. With the given width of the resonanceand the atomic density, we use a simple Landau-Zenermodel to calculate a ramp speed of !104 G=s to transfer
roughly half the atoms to the molecular state [7,8,11].
However, inelastic collisions led to fast decay for boththe atoms and the molecules near the resonance. We foundthat a faster ramp speed of !105 G=s(corresponding to"down " 50 !s) gave optimal results. The conversion efficiency of atoms to molecules was !4%. Slower ramp
speeds resulted in a similar number of molecules, but at
higher temperature [see Fig. 1(e)].

FIG. 1. (a) Experimental method for producing and detecting
ultracold molecules. (i) Bose condensed atoms in an optical
dipole trap are exposed to a magnetic field just below a
Feshbach resonance. (ii) The field is quickly stepped throughthe resonance to minimize atom loss. (iii) The field is thenswept back through the resonance, creating an atom-molecule
mixture. (iv) Unpaired atoms are removed from the trap withresonant light, yielding a pure molecular sample. (v) The trap isswitched off, allowing the molecules to expand ballistically.
(vi) Finally, the magnetic field is swept back across the resonance to reconvert the molecules to atoms for imaging (vii).
(b) Image of the atomic sample after ramping the field to
produce molecules; (c) after the resonant light pulse has removed all unpaired atoms; (d) after the molecules (!105 ) havebeen reconverted to atoms. (b),(c) were taken along the weakaxis of the trap after 17 ms ballistic (time-of-flight –TOF)
expansion. (e) An image showing both atomic (top) and molecular (bottom) clouds after 14 ms ballistic expansion, spatially separated by a magnetic field gradient. With 4 ms fieldramp-down time, some molecules survived even without theblast pulse, but are much more heated. The field of view of each
image is 1:8 mm # 1:3 mm.

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The blast pulse was applied along the radial axis of thetrap to minimize collisions between the escaping atoms
and the molecules at rest. A 20 !s pulse of resonant lightremoved all atoms from the optical trap, leaving behind apure molecular sample (see Fig. 1). At only 4 G below the
Feshbach resonance, the light was still close to resonancewith molecular photodissociation to low-velocity atoms,
but the overlap matrix element was sufficiently diminished to leave the molecules unaffected. After a variable
hold time, the optical trap was switched off and themolecules expanded ballistically for between 4 and20 ms. The molecules were detected by converting themback to atoms with field ramp-up in "up " 100 !s at theend of expansion. Varying "up between 50 !s and 4 ms did
not affect the recovered atom number, though shorter"up ’s recovered atoms with larger kinetic energy [23].
Thus we assume all molecules are converted back to
atoms. A resonant absorption image was taken after an
additional 500 !s, which allowed the imaging field tosettle. The rapid conversion of molecules to atoms after
a long expansion time ensured that the absorption images
accurately depicted the momentum distribution of themolecular cloud.
Atoms and molecules were separated during the ballistic expansion by a Stern-Gerlach technique [Fig. 1(e)].
Because of trap imperfections, the large bias coils provided an additional radial gradient of the axial field of!2:8 G=cm in the vicinity of the condensate. This value
was determined from the trajectory of the falling atoms.
Since the molecules have a different magnetic moment,
they separate from the atoms during the ballistic expansion [Fig. 1(e)]. From the separation of the atomic andmolecular clouds at different times, we determined thedifference between atomic and molecular magnetic moments to be 3:2 !B (!B is the Bohr magneton), in good
agreement with theory [11].
For different ramp down times "down , the time-of-flightimages of the molecular cloud exhibit drastically different momentum distribution. The coldest cloud was obtained with the fastest ramp down time possible,"down " 50 !s (Fig. 2). A Gaussian fit was used to determine the molecular temperature Tm and the phase-spacedensity. Because of the rapid ramp down, the molecules
had no time to adjust to the external trapping potential or
any mean-field interactions. Therefore, we assume themolecules were uniformly created with the ThomasFermi profile of the original atomic BEC. The peakphase-space density is then given by!
#3hN
P SDpeak " p""""""""""""""""""""""""" 8# m2 ;(1)
2#kB Tm Mm 15 Rr Rz
where h is the Planck constant, kB is the Boltzmann
constant, Mm is the molecular mass, and Nm is the numberof molecules. The second factor in the equation is thepeak density for a Thomas-Fermi profile.
Figure 3(a) shows the phase-space densities obtainedfor different holding time in the optical trap. Phase-space
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FIG. 2. Ballistic expansion of a pure molecular sample.
Absorption images of molecular clouds (after reconversion
to atoms) are shown for increasing expansion time afterswitching off the optical trap. The small expansion velocity corresponds to a temperature of !30 nK, characteristicof high phase-space density. The images are taken along the
weak axis of the trap. The field of view of each image is
3:0 mm " 0:7 mm.

densities in excess of 20 were observed, much larger
than the critical value of 2.6. This demonstrates that aquantum-degenerate cloud of atoms can be transformed
into a quantum-degenerate molecular gas.
The high initial phase-space density decayed rapidly(!2 ms), due to molecule loss and heating. For a puremolecular sample at a peak density of 4 " 1012 cm#3 , themolecule number dropped by half in 5 ms and the apparent temperature doubled in 2 ms. Since the molecules areformed in a high vibrational state with quantum numberv $ 14, losses are most likely due to vibrational relaxation. The high loss rate of the molecules is consistent withtheoretically predicted two-body relaxation rate coefficients of 10#10 cm3 =s [9,24]. Because the loss of molecules is faster at the high densities near the bottom of thetrap, it is accompanied by heating. This is in contrast toevaporative cooling, where the losses occur at the top of
the trap. Such antievaporative heating gives a time con-

FIG. 3. Molecular phase-space density versus hold time.
(a) The phase-space densities of the trapped molecules wereobserved to decrease significantly after a few milliseconds inthe optical trap. The open and solid squares are data from two
separate runs on different days. (b),(c) are absorption imagesof the molecular clouds after (b) 0 ms, (c) 2 ms, (d) 5 ms,(e) 10 ms, (f) 20 ms hold time in the trap. The field of view is
0:8 mm " 0:8 mm.

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stant 4 times slower than the observed heating rate. We
therefore believe that the rapid increase in the apparent
temperature is due to the inward motion of the molecular
cloud (see below), and possibly transfer of the vibrationalenergy of the molecules.
Our calculation of the phase-space density is conservative, since almost all errors lead to an underestimation of
the value. The
most critical! quantity is the thermal velocp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ity vtherm $ 2kB Tm =Mm obtained from the Gaussian fitof the cloud, since the phase-space density scales with thethird power of vtherm . We determined the velocity bysimply dividing the size of the cloud by the time-offlight, without correcting for imaging resolution andinitial cloud size.
Correcting for the imaging resolution of 10 !m compared to the typical cloud size of 50 !m would increase
the phase-space density measurement by 6%. In addition,
radial excitation of the trapped cloud (shown in Fig. 4)
contributed to the size of the cloud after the ballistic
expansion. From the fits, the smaller of the two Gaussian radii was used to calculate vtherm , assuming that thelarger size was caused by radial excitations. Yet since theradial excitation can occur in two orthogonal directions,
we estimate that the extracted thermal velocities werestill overestimated by !10%. We also considered magnetic focusing of the cloud due to residual field inhomogeneities. Because we use large coils (!17 cm in diameter
and !4 cm away from the condensate) to produce ahomogeneous magnetic field, any residual radial curvature due to radial fields is calculated to be & 0:1 G=cm2 .
An upper bound for the radial curvature of the axial fields
was obtained from trap frequency measurements andballistic expansion measurements as <1 G=cm2 . Thiscan only reduce the size of the cloud by less than 2%
after a typical ballistic expansion time of 17 ms.
We assume resonant absorption in determining thenumber of atoms. Any systematic effect such as small
detuning or saturation, would lower both Nm and theThomas-Fermi volume (proportional to N 3=5 , where N
is the number of condensed atoms). The net effect is anunderestimate of the phase-space density. In addition,
because the molecular formation process is nonlinear in

FIG. 4. Images of (a) atomic and (b) molecular clouds. Theseabsorption images were taken after 7 ms ballistic expansion and show the axial extent of the clouds. Radial excitations in the optical trap resulting from the sudden switchingof magnetic fields are manifest as snakelike patterns. Such
excitations blur images (c) taken along the long axis of thetrap (in 17 ms TOF), leading to an underestimate of the phasespace density. The fields of view are (a),(b) 0:6 mm " 3:2 mm,(c) 0:6 mm " 0:4 mm.

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atomic density, the assumption of the atomic ThomasFermi volume for molecules is likely an overestimate.
Furthermore, in the absence of strong mean-field repulsion (due to the much lower molecular density), themolecular cloud would not sustain the initial size ofthe atomic condensate [used in Eq. (1)], and shrink toa smaller size within a few milliseconds (! radial trap
period). If we assume radial thermal equilibrium while
keeping the axial length fixed (as the axial trap period
is 500 ms), the phase-space density would be 2 to 4
times higher than is shown in Fig. 3. To sum up, the extracted peak phase-space densities are underestimated by* 30%, and all other critical systematic effects would
raise the value even further.
When a molecular cloud with high phase-space density
equilibrates by elastic collisions, it should form a condensate. There is no prediction for the scattering length ofthe molecules, which are formed in the jv " 14; l " 0istate [25]. Assuming a prototypical scattering length of
100a0 (a0 is the Bohr radius), we estimate the elastic
collision rate between molecules to be 6 s#1 , which issmaller than our loss rate. Thus, the so-called ratio of
good and bad collisions is smaller than 1.
Recent work on molecules composed of fermionic lithium [14,15] and potassium [26] atoms showed a dramaticincrease in lifetime close to the Feshbach resonance.
Theoretically, the rate of vibrational relaxation should
decrease with the scattering length as as / a#2:55
due tosPauli blocking [19]. In contrast, for molecules composedof bosonic atoms, the rate should increase proportionallyto as [27]. On the other hand, the elastic collision rate is
proportional to a2s , so for large as one would expect theratio of good-to-bad collisions to exceed one. However, if
this condition is met at loss rates faster than the trap
frequency, the cloud can only establish local, not global
equilibrium.
Whether our molecular sample is a condensate depends
on one’s definition of BEC. If phase-space density in excess of 2.6 (corresponding to a diagonal matrix element of
the single-particle density matrix larger than 1) is sufficient, then one may regard a short-lived atom-moleculesuperposition state [12] as a molecular BEC. However,following this definition, a small excited state admixture
in an optically trapped BEC would qualify as BEC ofelectronically excited atoms. If one asks for the additional
requirement of a pure molecular sample, we haveachieved that in this work. Another definition would require phase coherence, which could again be observed
even in short-lived samples. Should one also require alifetime of the degenerate sample exceeding the collisiontime (to achieve local equilibrium), the trap period (toachieve global equilibrium), or the inverse mean-fieldenergy (the typical dynamic timescale)? In our opinion,
BEC requires thermal equilibrium. High phase-spacedensity is necessary, but not sufficient.
In conclusion, we have created a quantum-degenerate
gas of 105 cold sodium molecules with a phase-space
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density >20. This was achieved with a fast magnetic
field sweep through a Feshbach resonance, followed byquick removal of the remnant atoms with resonant light.
This purification was necessary to avoid heating anddecay of the molecules through inelastic collision processes. These processes could also be avoided by loading
the atomic BEC into an optical lattice in the Mottinsulator phase with a filling factor of 2 [28,29] which,after sweeping the magnetic field through the Feshbachresonance, would result in a long-lived sample of isolated
molecules.
The authors would like to acknowledge M. Xue forexperimental assistance with the project. We also thankA. E. Leanhardt and M.W. Zwierlein for their criticalreading of the manuscript. This research is supported by
NSF, ONR, ARO, NASA, and the David and Lucile
Packard Foundation.

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210402-4

Appendix D

Experimental Setup
This appendix contains the blueprints for building the new BEC II machine.

117

Ion Pump

BaffleIon gauge
Intermediate
NozzleMain
NozzleSlowerGate ValveNa OvenGate ValveLi OvenShutter BaseIon Pump

Side View
Vertically mounted
angle valve to turbo
pump

To Gate Valve

Ion Gauge

Viewport

Viewport
Vertically mounted
ion pump via baffle
To Nozzle and oven

Top View
Figure D-1: Schematic of the new BEC II machine.

118

PS4

PS5
S4

C1

S1

S5
HP3

C2
C5
PS6

PS2
PS1
C3
PS3

PS7

S6

S2

C4

S3

HP1

Bias and Curvature Coil Wiring Diagram

C6
PS8
C7

S6

Gradient Coil Wiring Diagram

PS9

PS10

C: Coils
1, 4:
Pinch (Curvature)
2:
AntiBias (Feshbach)3:
Mysterious Black Coil, laser side
5:
Bias (Feshbach)
6,7:
Gradient (Ioffe bars)
PS: Power supply
1:
Curvature2:- Laser Pinch
3:+ Laser Pinch
4:
Sink Pinch
5:
Big Sink Pinch
6:
T-axis7:
Bias8:
Gradient
9:
Top Ioffe
10:
Bottom Ioffe
S: Switch (IGBT)
1:
Curvature
2:
Variable (analog) IGBT
3:
Feshbach (main)
4:
Feshbach (aux)5:Bias
HP: Hall Probes
1:
Curvature
2:
Bias
3:
Feshbach feedback

Figure D-2: Wiring of the various coils used
119for magnetic trapping and Feshbach fields.

671 nm (Li) Laser Table Set-up
April 4, 2007

Off Axis

On AxisSlower Sidebands
229 MHz0+1

From Laser
+1

750

250

+1

0

0

250

Repump239-58 MHz

250

75

λ/2

200

Active during
Optical Pumping

200
300

λ/4

λ/4

H = 1/2 Img
V = 3/2 or HF Img

MOT TTL
81.1
λ/4

0 +1

0 -1

H+V

Wavemeter

200
75

-1 0

-1

V

V

0
H

H

H

f=150
500

-1

H+V

300

H

400

0

V

H

-1

λ/2

0 +1
1/2 Img80+-20 (C)HF Img500±70 (A)0400

3/2 Img80±20 (B)100

RPMP TTL
80.1

Slower
500

V

H

-1
-1

V

0

0

V

Slower TTL
79.9

Repump

0

H

λ/2

H

+1
300

300

λ/2
200

Slower

175

λ/2

MOT

Laser frequencies relative to the doppler-free crossover

0
+1

MOT
SlowerRepump3/2 or HF Img
1/2-139.1-478.1 (sidebands @ 229)
+100.9-58-2A+2B+181+2C

Figure D-3: Layout of the laser table for generating
the different light frequencies needed120
6for the Li experiment.

Appendix E

Evidence for Superfluidity of
Ultracold Fermions in an Optical
LatticeThis appendix contains a reprint of Ref. [50]: J.K.Chin, D.E. Miller, Y. Liu, C. Stan, W.
Setiawan, C. Sanner, K.Xu, W. Ketterle, Evidence for Superfluidity of Ultracold Fermionsin an Optical Lattice, Nature 443, 961 (2006).

121Vol 443 | 26 October 2006 | doi:10.1038/nature05224

LETTERS
Evidence for superfluidity of ultracold fermionsin an optical lattice
J. K. Chin1, D. E. Miller1, Y. Liu1, C. Stan1{, W. Setiawan1, C. Sanner1, K. Xu1 & W. Ketterle1

three-dimensional optical lattice. A broad Feshbach resonancecentred at 834 G enabled tuning of the interatomic interactions overa wide range. On resonance, a bound molecular state becomes degenerate with the open atomic scattering channel, leading to a divergencein the scattering length a. Here we explore the region of strong interactions, also known as the BEC–BCS (Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer)crossover, in which the magnitude of the interaction parameter jkFaj
is greater than unity, and kF is defined as the peak Fermi wavevectorof a two-component non-interacting mixture of 6Li atoms. In the
crossover region, pairing occurs as a result of many-body interactions. Below resonance, for strong interactions, the bare two-bodystate has a bond length larger than the interatomic spacing and isirrelevant. In a lattice, atom pairs above and below the resonance canbe confined to one lattice site11, and crossover physics may require an
occupation larger than or equal to one.
The peak pair filling factor of the lattice was about unity. At
this density in the bulk, the fermion pair size is on the order of
1/kF 5 170 nm, comparable to the lattice spacing of 532 nm. To probe
the momentum distribution, we ramped the magnetic field out of thestrongly interacting regime as fast as technically possible (about
150 ms) and then turned off the confining potential. Absorption
Interaction parameter, kF a

10

0.3

1

a

Magnetic field (G)The study of superfluid fermion pairs in a periodic potential has
important ramifications for understanding superconductivity incrystalline materials. By using cold atomic gases, various models ofcondensed matter can be studied in a highly controllable environment. Weakly repulsive fermions in an optical lattice could
undergo d-wave pairing1 at low temperatures, a possible mechanism for high temperature superconductivity in the copperoxides2. The lattice potential could also strongly increase the critical temperature for s-wave superfluidity. Recent experimental
advances in bulk atomic gases include the observation of fermion-pair condensates and high-temperature superfluidity3–8.
Experiments with fermions9–11 and bosonic bound pairs12,13 in
optical lattices have been reported but have not yet addressedsuperfluid behaviour. Here we report the observation of distinct
interference peaks when a condensate of fermionic atom pairs isreleased from an optical lattice, implying long-range order (aproperty of a superfluid). Conceptually, this means that s-wave
pairing and coherence of fermion pairs have now been establishedin a lattice potential, in which the transport of atoms occurs by
quantum mechanical tunnelling and not by simple propagation.
These observations were made for interactions on both sides of a
Feshbach resonance. For larger lattice depths, the coherence waslost in a reversible manner, possibly as a result of a transition fromsuperfluid to insulator. Such strongly interacting fermions in an
optical lattice can be used to study a new class of hamiltonians withinterband and atom–molecule couplings14.
Previous experiments showing long-range phase coherence inBose–Einstein condensates (BECs) and in fermion superfluids usedballistic expansion to observe the interference of two independent
condensates15, vortex lattices8,16,17 or interference peaks after releasefrom an optical lattice18,19. However, for strongly interacting fermions, elastic collisions can change the momentum distribution
and wash out interference peaks. For an initially superfluid cloud,such dissipative dynamics corresponds to superfluid flow faster thanthe critical velocity. Consistent with this expectation is the observation that a strongly interacting Fermi superfluid initially containing distinct momentum components yielded a broad diffuse cloudafter expansion (Fig. 1). This issue was addressed by using a magnetic
field ramp that quickly increased the detuning from a Feshbach resonance, taking the system out of the strongly interacting regime andenforcing ballistic expansion. In previous studies of strongly interacting Fermi gases, magnetic field sweeps were applied to prevent
fermion pairs above the Feshbach resonance from dissociating6,7,20 .In
contrast, our experiment required a magnetic field sweep both aboveand below the Feshbach resonance to avoid elastic collisions.
Our experiments used a balanced mixture of 6Li fermions in the
two lowest hyperfine states. Evaporative cooling produced a nearlypure fermion pair condensate that was adiabatically loaded into a

b

c

822

x

730

470

//
//

0

0.15
2
Time (ms)468

Figure 1 | Dissipative collisions during expansion of a strongly interacting
fermionic superfluid. The schematic shows the time sequence of themagnetic field ramp used throughout this paper. A one-dimensional opticalstanding wave was pulsed onto the superfluid at different magnetic fields Bp(indicated by arrows at 822 G (a), 749 G (b) and 665 G (c)) during expansion,
creating particles at twice the photon recoil30. Absorption images taken at thetime marked with the cross show distinct momentum peaks only at magnetic
fields Bp # 750 G, where kFa # 1. At higher magnetic fields, the peaks blurred
into a broad diffuse cloud as a result of the larger collision cross-section.

1
Department of Physics, MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms, and Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139,
USA. {Present address: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.

961
©2006 Nature Publishing GroupLETTERS

NATURE | Vol 443 | 26 October 2006

a

c

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

Figure 3 | Interferograms of fermion pairs released from different lattice
depths V0 at a field of 822 G. Values of V0 are 0Er (a), 2.5Er (b), 4Er (c), 5Er(d), 6Er (e), 7Er (f), 9Er (g) and 2.5Er (h). a–g were taken after an adiabatic
ramp up to the final V0, whereas h was taken after first ramping up to 10Er
before ramping down to 2.5Er.

dFigure 2 | Observation of high-contrast interference of fermion pairs
released from an optical lattice below and above the Feshbach resonance.
a, The orientation of the reciprocal lattice, also with respect to the imaging
light. b–d, Interference peaks are observed for magnetic fields of 822 G(b), 867 G (c) and 917 G (d). The lattice depth for all images is 5Er, and each
image is the average of three shots. The field of view is 1 mm 3 1 mm.
Density profiles through the vertical interference peaks are shown for each
image.

images taken after 6.5 ms of expansion reveal sharp peaks at thereciprocal lattice vectors—the signature of long-range coherence, astrong indicator for superfluidity.
We observed these interference peaks at magnetic fields both aboveand below the Feshbach resonance (Fig. 2). The six first-order diffracted peaks are clearly visible around the zero momentum fraction
and their positions correspond to the expected momentum quanta of
2BkL carried by molecules of mass 2m, where kL is the lattice wavevector. At high magnetic fields (Fig. 2d) the visibility of the interference peaks decreased and some additional heating was observed. Thisdegradation could be due to a higher fraction of thermal atoms as weapproached the BCS limit, but it was not studied in detail.
The narrow interference peaks clearly reveal the presence of amacroscopic wavefunction possessing long-range phase coherence.
The separation between the interference peaks relative to their width
gives an estimate of the coherence length of about ten lattice sites.
This estimate is a lower bound, because effects of finite resolution andmechanisms of residual broadening have been neglected. With unity
occupation, and in the absence of any discernible background at
magnetic fields near the Feshbach resonance, this implies a minimum
phase space density of 103 and shows that our samples are deep in thequantum-degenerate regime. In previous studies of ultracold Boseand Fermi gases, the appearance of a condensate fraction and longrange phase coherence was shown to occur concurrently with thepossibility to excite superfluid flow8,16,17,21. Superfluid hydrodynamics is usually regarded as the direct proof for superfluidity.
However, all reports of superfluidity of bosons in three-dimensional
optical lattices have relied solely on observations of sharp interference peaks and inferred superfluidity from the established connection between long-range coherence and superfluidity19,22. Similarly,
our observations directly show long-range coherence and indirectly
show superfluidity of fermion pairs in an optical lattice.
For deep lattices, breakdown of superfluid behaviour has been
observed for weakly interacting BECs of different bosonic species19,23.
This phase transition to the Mott-insulator state occurs when on-site
interactions start to suppress atom number fluctuations and thesystem undergoes a transition from a delocalized superfluid

described by a macroscopic wavefunction to a product of Wannier
states tightly localized at each lattice site. Experimentally, this ismanifested as a smearing of the distinct 2BkL interference peaks.
Figure 3 shows the change in the coherence properties when thelattice depth was increased. The interference peaks became more
pronounced initially, because of increased modulation of the wavefunction. The interference peaks began to smear out, rapidly giving
way to a featureless cloud, beyond a critical lattice depth Vc < 6Er,
where Er 5 B2kL2/4m 5 h 3 15 kHz is the recoil energy. This indicatesthat all phase coherence had been lost. On subsequent ramping downof the lattice, interference peaks became visible again (Fig. 3h), showing reversibility of the lattice ramp.
We repeated this sequence for a wide range of initial magnetic
fields, both above and below the resonance, and observed the same
marked change in the interference pattern. Figure 4 displays the peak
optical density of the interference peaks for different lattice depths at
representative fields. Across all fields, the sharp decrease in peak
optical density occurred between 5Er and 6Er. A further increase in
the magnetic field resulted in decreasing overall visibility, until interference peaks could no longer be observed regardless of lattice depth.
The loss of phase coherence with increasing lattice depth is consistent with the qualitative description of the superfluid to Mottinsulator transition. However, the usual single-band description is
no longer applicable, because in the strong-coupling regime theon-site interaction strength should be comparable to the band gap
Bv, where v is the onsite trap frequency. Furthermore, Pauli blocking forbids the multiple occupation of the lowest state of an

Peak optical density (a.u.)

b

a

0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0

2

3

4
Lattice depth (Er)

5

6

7

Figure 4 | Peak optical density of interference peaks for increasing lattice
depths at different magnetic fields. Values of magnetic fields are 842 G(filled circles), 892 G (open squares) and 942 G (filled triangles). Peak opticaldensities were estimated from fits to the peaks, including backgroundsubtraction. The inset shows a sample density profile of the central and one
pair of interference peaks (dotted line), with a bimodal fit to one side peak(solid line). Each point is the average of three different images with six
interference peaks per image. Error bars show s.d.

962
©2006 Nature Publishing GroupLETTERS

NATURE | Vol 443 | 26 October 2006

better understanding of the unitarity-limited interactions in such a
Fermi system. Recent theoretical work14,26 predicts that stronglyinteracting fermions in an optical lattice feature multiband couplingsand next-neighbour interactions and can realize the important t–J
and magnetic XXZ models of condensed-matter theory. This demonstrates that such atomic systems are an ideal laboratory for the
exploration of novel condensed-matter physics.

160

Central peak width (µm)

140
120
100

METHODS

80
60
0

200

400

600

800

1,000

Ramp-down time (µs)

Figure 5 | Restoring coherence from a deep lattice. The width of the central
peak is used as a measure of phase coherence after an adiabatic ramp up to
8Er, followed by a fast ramp down to 2.5Er at a fixed magnetic field of 822 G.
Filled circles were extracted with the use of a gaussian fit, and diamonds witha bimodal fit. Also plotted for comparison is the gaussian width of the central
peak for a dephased sample, in which a field gradient was applied during theramp up of the lattice (crosses). All points were taken for 6.5 ms time offlight.

individual lattice site by identical fermions, and modification of thesingle-particle tunnelling rate is expected as a result of virtual pairbreaking transitions14. One may still be tempted to use the standard
bosonic Hubbard model and estimate the critical lattice depth Vc foran assumed value of onsite interaction energy U 5 Bv and noninteracting, single-particle tunnelling J, but the obtained Vc < 3Er
is significantly smaller than our observation, which is in turn muchsmaller than the Vc . 10Er observed for weakly interacting atomic
BECs19,23. Together with the observed insensitivity of Vc to the magnetic field, this shows that models based on weak interactions are
inadequate.
Figure 3h shows the reversibility of the transition from a longrange coherent state to a state without strong coherence. We now
study the timescale for this recoherence, by analogy with similar
measurements performed across the transition from superfluid toMott insulator in atomic BECs19. Figure 5 shows that phase coherence was restored on a submillisecond timescale, on the order of thesingle-particle tunnelling time of about 500 ms (for a shallow lattice of
2.5Er). When the same lattice ramp sequence was applied to a superfluid that had been dephased by a magnetic field gradient19, thesystem did not regain phase coherence on the timescales that weprobed. Evaporative cooling is therefore negligible during this time.
The short recoherence time of the condensate is evidence that thesystem stayed in its ground state or at least in a low-entropy state
when the lattice was ramped up.
Figure 5 also provides evidence that the system could not recohere
during the 150-ms magnetic field ramp. In Fig. 3h, the central peak iswell fitted by a bimodal distribution with a width of 35 mm, in clear
contrast to the gaussian width of 105 mm obtained from Fig. 5 after
150 ms. We therefore conclude that the observed interference patternsin Fig. 1 reflect the coherence of the cloud at the initial magnetic field,in the strongly interacting regime.
We have shown long-range phase coherence of fermion pairs in an
optical lattice in the BEC–BCS crossover region by observing sharp
interference peaks during ballistic expansion. This indicates that wehave achieved s-wave pairing and superfluidity in a lattice potential.
Further studies will reveal how the pair wavefunction is affectedby confinement24, and whether the lattice shifts the BEC–BCS crossover away from the Feshbach resonance25. The loss of coherence
during the lattice ramp up and the rapid recoherence are characteristic of a Mott insulator. However, definitive proof will require a

Clouds of superfluid fermion pairs were created in a new experimental setup27,28
by using techniques similar to those described elsewhere8. In brief, a combination of laser cooling and sympathetic cooling of spin-polarized fermions bybosonic 23Na was followed by a spin transfer to create a two-component
Fermi gas, allowing further cooling through direct evaporation of the fermions.
As the fermions cooled, they formed pairs that Bose-condensed.
Estimates of the scattering length, and hence the interaction parameter, fromthe magnetic field were obtained with a(B) 5 21,405a0[1 1 300/(B 2 834)][1 1 0.0004(B 2 834)] (ref. 29), where B is measured in gauss and a0 is theBohr radius. The calibration of the magnetic field in our system had an uncertainty
of about 5 G.
Evaporation was performed at a magnetic field of 822 G, at which strong
interactions permitted efficient evaporation. An estimated average final
number of N < 2 3 105 6Li pairs and harmonic trapping frequencies ofnx,y,z 5 (270,340,200) Hz gave a trap depth of 1.7 mK and a Fermi energy ofEF 5 kB 3 1.4 mK, where EF 5 B (6N)1/3 andis the average trapping frequency. After evaporation, the magnetic field was brought to a desired value
B0 in 20 ms and the condensate was allowed to equilibrate for a further 200 ms.
Before ramping to values of B0 on the BCS side, we also recompressed the opticaltrap to (340,440,270) Hz and 2.2 mK depth in 100 ms to accommodate the larger
Fermi clouds above the resonance7.
A three-dimensional optical lattice was formed from three optical standing
waves, oriented such that the resulting unit cell had a sheared cubic structure,with one axis tilted about 20u from the normal for reasons of optical access (seeFig. 1a)23. The incident laser beams were focused down to the condensate withwaists of about 90 mm, then retroreflected and overlapped at the condensate to
generate the standing-wave potentials. All lattice light was derived from a 1,064nm single-frequency fibre laser, and each beam was detuned by tens of MHz withrespect to the others to eliminate interference between different beams.
The lattice potential was imposed on the condensate by adiabatically increasing the intensity of the laser beams to a variable final value V0. The calibration of
V0 had an uncertainty of about 20%. A simple linear ramp with a constant rate
dV0/dt of 0.5Er ms21 was used unless otherwise specified. This satisfies the interband adiabaticity condition of dV0/dt = 16Er2/B.
Ballistic expansion for the detection of the different momentum components
was provided by a magnetic field sequence (shown in Fig. 1) that quickly brought
the system out of the strongly interacting regime when all confinement was
switched off. During the magnetic field ramp of about 150 ms, the lattice potential
was kept on. The first 2 ms of expansion took place at 470 G, at which themolecules are tightly bound, before the field was ramped back up to 730 G in
the next 4.5 ms, at which the weakly bound molecules strongly absorb light near
the atomic resonance line and could be observed by absorption imaging. The
specific magnetic field sequence was chosen to minimize collisions within technical capabilities.
Received 29 June; accepted 25 August 2006.
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2.
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6.
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8.

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Acknowledgements We thank E. Demler, Z. Hadzibabic and M. Zwierlein for
discussions. This work was supported by the NSF, the Office of Naval Research andNASA.
Author Information Reprints and permissions information is available atwww.nature.com/reprints. The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to J.K.C.
(jitkee@mit.edu).

964©2006 Nature Publishing GroupAppendix F

Critical Velocity of a Superfluid
Fermi Gas in the BEC-BCS
crossoverThis appendix contains a reprint of Ref. [50]: D.E. Miller, J.K.Chin, Claudiu Stan, Yingmei
Liu, Christian Sanner, Widagdo Setiawan, W. Ketterle, Critical Velocity of a Superfluid
Fermi Gas in the BEC-BCS crossover, Physical Review Letters 90, 160405 (2003).

126

Critical velocity for superfluid flow across the BEC-BCS crossover
D. E. Miller, J. K. Chin, C. A. Stan∗ , Y. Liu, W. Setiawan, C. Sanner and W. Ketterle †arXiv:0707.2354v1 [cond-mat.other] 16 Jul 2007

Department of Physics, MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms,
and Research Laboratory of Electronics, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139(Dated: July 17, 2007)
Critical velocities have been observed in an ultracold superfluid Fermi gas throughout the BECBCS crossover. A pronounced peak of the critical velocity at unitarity demonstrates that superfluidity is most robust for resonant atomic interactions. Critical velocities were determined from theabrupt onset of dissipation when the velocity of a moving one dimensional optical lattice was varied.
The dependence of the critical velocity on lattice depth and on the inhomogeneous density profile
was studied.
PACS numbers: 03.75.Kk, 03.75.Lm, 03.75.Ss

The recent realization of the BEC-BCS crossover in ultracold atomic gases [1] allows one to study how bosonicsuperfluidity transforms into fermionic superfluidity. The
critical velocity for superfluid flow is determined by the
low-lying excitations of the superfluid. For weakly boundfermions, the (Landau) critical velocity is proportional tothe binding energy of the pairs, which increases monotonically along the crossover into the BEC regime. However, the speed of sound, which sets the critical velocity
for phonon excitations, is almost constant in the BCS
regime, but then decreases monotonically on the BEC
side, since the strongly bound molecules are weakly interacting. At the BEC-BCS crossover, one expects a rather
narrow transition from a region where excitation of soundlimits superfluid flow, to a region where pair breaking
dominates. In this transition region, the critical velocity
is predicted to reach a maximum [2, 3, 4]. This makes thecritical velocity one of the few quantities which show apronounced peak across the BEC-BCS crossover in contrast to the chemical potential, the transition temperature [5], the speed of sound [6, 7] and the frequencies ofshape oscillations [8], which all vary monotonically.
In this paper, we report the first study of critical velocities across the BEC-BCS crossover, where a Feshbachresonance allows the magnetic tuning of the atomic interactions, and find that superfluid flow is most robust
near the resonance. Our observation of a pronounced
maximum of the critical velocity is in agreement withthe predicted crossover between the two different mechanisms for dissipation.
Critical velocities have been determined before in
atomic BECs perturbed by a stirring beam [9, 10, 11]as well as by a 1D moving optical lattice [12]. In bothcases, the inhomogeneous density of the harmonicallytrapped sample had to be carefully accounted for in order to make quantitative comparisons to theory. Here

∗ Present address: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology,
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138† Website: cua.mit.edu/ketterle group

we mitigate this problem by probing only the central region of our sample with a tightly focused moving lattice
formed from two intersecting laser beams. For decreasing
lattice depths, the critical velocity increases and, at verysmall depths, approaches a value which is in agreementwith theoretical predictions.
In our experiments, we first create a superfluid of 6 Li
pairs according to the procedure described in previous
work [13]. Forced evaporative cooling of an even mixture of the two lowest hyperfine states is performed ata magnetic field of 822 G, on the BEC side of a broad
Feshbach resonance centered at B0 = 834 G. This results
in a nearly pure Bose-Einstein condensate of N ≈ 5 × 105
pairs in a cross optical dipole trap with harmonic trapping frequencies νx,y,z = (65, 45, 50) Hz. The Fermi energy of the system is EF = hν̄ (6N )1/3 = h × 7.6 kHz. To
form the moving lattice, we focus two phase-locked 1064
nm laser beams to intersect at the sample with an angleof ∼ 90◦ (see Figure 1). The resulting 1D lattice has aspatial period of λL = 0.75 µm. A frequency difference
between the two beams of ∆ν causes the lattice to movewith velocity vL = λL ∆ν. The beams have e−2 waists of
20 µm and 60 µm respectively, and address a relatively
homogeneous region at the center of the cloud which has
Thomas-Fermi radii Rx,y,z = (63, 91, 82) µm. The minimum density at the position of the e−2 waist is 42% of
the central density.
The lattice which necessarily varies in depth across the
sample, is characterized by its peak depth V0 specified
in units of EF or the recoil energy Er = h2 /(8mλ2L ) =h × 7.3 kHz, where m is the molecular mass. The lattice
depth is calibrated using Kapitza-Dirac scattering. Dueto the inhomogeneity of the lattice, the uncertainty is40%. The lattice depths explored in this work are sufficiently small such that motion induced in the laboratory
frame is negligible, in contrast to [14].
The lattice moving at a constant velocity is adiabatically ramped up and held for a time t up to 2 s, after
which the lattice is ramped down and all confinement isswitched off. As in previous work [13], a fast magnetic
field ramp is used to reduce strong interactions in order

2

890 870 850 830

vc (mm/s)

5

4

3

v

Critical Velocity

Condensate Number Nc

`
´
×105

Magnetic Field (Gauss)

2

1

810

790

770

750

1.0

1.5

6

5

4

0
0

2

4

6

8

Lattice Velocity v (mm/s)-0.5

FIG. 1: Onset of dissipation for superfluid fermions in a moving optical lattice. (inset) Schematic of the experiment inwhich two intersecting laser beams produced a moving opticallattice at the center of an optically trapped cloud (trapping
beams not shown). Number of fermion pairs which remainedin the condensate Nc after being subjected to a V0 = 0.2 EF
deep optical lattice for 500 ms, moving with velocity vL , ata magnetic field of 822 G (1/kF a = 0.15)) An abrupt onsetof dissipation occurred above a critical velocity vc , which we
identify from a fit to Equation 1.

to probe the center-of-mass momentum distribution of
the pairs. Subsequently, absorption imaging is done on
the atomic resonance line at 730 G. A bimodal fit reveals the number of pairs remaining in the condensate
Nc , providing a measure of the heating incurred during
application of the moving lattice.
Figure 1 illustrates the characteristic dependence ofdissipation on the velocity of the moving lattice. At low
velocities, the sample is unaffected. Above some criticalvelocity vc , dissipation sets in abruptly. We determine
vc from a fit of Nc to the intersection of two lines withslopes 0 and α:
Ncond (v) = Ncond (0) × [1 − max(0, α × (v − vc))] (1)The critical velocity which we obtain from this procedure is consistent for a large range of hold times, varying
by less than 15% when the hold time t is changed by afactor of 20. We explore the BEC-BCS crossover by adiabatically ramping the magnetic field to different values
after evaporation and repeating the measurement as before. The crossover is parameterized by the interaction
parameter 1/kF a, where kF is the Fermi wavevector anda is the B-field dependent s-wave scattering length [15].
Again, we observe a threshold for dissipation.
Figure 2 shows the measured critical velocity throughout the BEC-BCS crossover. The maximum near resonance is consistent with the picture of a crossover between two different types of excitation, as discussed in

0.0

0.5

Interaction Parameter 1/kF a
FIG. 2:
Critical velocities throughout the BEC-BCS
crossover. A pronounced maximum was found at resonance.
Data is shown for a V0 = 0.2 EF deep lattice, held for t=500
ms. The solid line is a guide to the eye.

the introduction, and confirms that superfluidity is mostrobust on resonance.
To illuminate the role of the inhomogeneous density
distribution, we performed experiments in which the entire sample was perturbed by a uniform lattice. Lattice
beams with 80 µm waists probed a more tightly confinedsample of 2 × 105 pairs, with spatial extent RT F # 37µm.
The onset of dissipation seen in Figure 3 is still striking,but now loss is observed at much lower lattice velocities,
in spite of a larger Fermi energy EF = h×12.4 kHz. Moreover, the onset of dissipation is slightly more gradual.
When the magnetic field was varied across the Feshbachresonance, we again found a maximum of the critical velocity near resonance. The lowering of the critical velocity due to the inhomogeneous density profile is expected,
since at lower density, both the speed of sound and (onthe BCS side) the pairing energy decrease. Although thecritical velocity should approach zero in the low density
wings of the cloud, we still observe a sudden onset of
dissipation at a finite velocity, similar to studies in Ref.
[9, 10, 11], where a laser beam pierced through the wholecondensate, but in contrast to studies reported in [12].
In the limit of vanishing perturbation, the critical velocity should be given by the Landau criterion. In Figure 4 we address the effects of a finite lattice potential in
the original lattice configuration, as depicted in Figure
1. The critical velocity is shown to be a decreasing function of V0 , saturating in the limit of low lattice depth(V0 ≤ 0.03 EF ). This behavior is consistent with numerical simulation [4, 16]. Measurements at the smallest lattice depths had large uncertainties, as the holdtime required to observe a heating effect of the lattice(mm/s)12

vc

2

Critical Velocity

v
1

0
0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

10

8

0.2

6

4

0.1

2

0

2.0

Lattice Velocity v (mm/s)

00.01

FIG. 3: Effects of density inhomogeneity on the critical velocity. A configuration in which the lattice beams (80µm) werelarger than the trapped sample (37µm) results in loss in thecondensate number Nc at significantly lower velocity. Data isshown for a V0 = 0.15 EF deep optical lattice held for 200 ms
at a magnetic field of 822 G.

approached the natural lifetime of our sample. For thisreason we studied the field dependence (Figure 2) at anintermediate lattice depth, where vc was more well defined.
For comparison with theory we reference the local
Fermi velocity at the trap !
center vF = vF! (1 + β)−1/4!
= 39 mm/s, where vF =2EF /m is the Fermi velocity of a non-interacting gas at the trap center, and
β = −0.58 is a universal parameter characterizing unitarity limited interactions [17, 18, 19]. For vanishing lattice depth, the observed critical velocity at unitarity approaches vc /vF = 0.25. If we use the local Fermi velocity vF ,w at the e−2 waist of the lattice, we obtainvc /vF ,w = 0.34 . The difference between these values
indicates the uncertainty due to residual density inhomogeneity. The local speed of sound in a Fermi gas at
unitarity is√(2)
cs = vF ,loc (1 + β)1/2 / 3 = 0.37 vF ,loc .
The critical velocity for pair breaking is"!
#1/2
vpair = ( ∆2 + µ2 − µ)/m
= 0.34 vF ,loc

0.3

vc / vF

Condensate Number Nc

`
´
×105

3

(3)

with ∆ = 0.50 vF2 ,loc /2m [17, 19] and µ = (1+β) vF2 ,loc /2m.
These two values should provide approximate upperbounds to the critical velocity at unitarity [2, 3]. It seems
natural that the combination of both excitation mechanisms lowers the critical velocity further. Within these
uncertainties, and those of the density, the theoreticalpredictions agree with the experimental results.
Up until now, we have deferred a discussion of how themoving lattice couples to the excitations. In a pure system at zero temperature, one would expect the excitation
spectrum to exhibit discrete resonances, where the perturbation couples only to modes with the k-vector of the23

4 5 6 70.1

2

3

4 5 6 7

1

2

Lattice Depth V0 /EF
FIG. 4: Critical velocities at different lattice depths. The
results show vc to be a decreasing function of lattice depth V0 .
In the limit of low V0 , vc converges to a maximum value of 0.25
vF . Data was taken near resonance, at 822 G (1/kF a = 0.15)
for hold times t = 250 ms, 500 ms, 1000 ms, 2000 ms (squares,
diamonds, circles, triangles).

lattice. On the other hand, at finite temperature, it ispossible that the lattice drags along thermal atoms which
are point-like perturbations and can create excitations at
all k-vectors. Our observation that the dissipation sets
in at a certain threshold velocity and increases monotonically with velocity is consistent with the participation of
the thermal component.
We further elucidated the role of thermal excitations,by varying the temperature. Gradually reducing the trap
depth from U0 to Umin , during exposure to a lattice moving above vc , will suppress the accumulation of a thermal
component. The lifetime in this case exceeded that fora sample held at a fixed depth of either U0 or Umin .
For Bose-Einstein condensates, theoretical papers emphasized the role of the thermal component in the Landau damping process in a moving lattice [20, 21]. Thiswas confirmed qualitatively in an experiment at Florence[12] in which the lifetime of the sample was drastically
improved by eliminating the thermal atoms.
In our experiments, the clouds heated up during theexposure to the moving lattice. Figure 5 shows the increase in the number of thermal atoms and the loss inthe total number of atoms due to evaporative cooling. In
an idealized model, where density is fixed, constant dissipation would result in a linear decrease in the numberof atoms due to evaporative cooling. Our data show anaccelerated decrease, possibly reflecting increased dissipation due to the increasing fraction of thermal atoms.
However, an accurate model should include the change
in density (and therefore critical velocity) during the exposure time. Additional impurity atoms (e.g. sodium
atoms) could cause dissipation even at zero temperature
and would allow more controlled studies of the dissipa-

4

Atom Number (×105 )

5

4

3

2

1

0
0

100

200

300

Hold Time (ms)FIG. 5: Number of pairs which remained in the condensate
Nc (filled circles) and thermal component Nth (open circles)
after being held in a V0 = 0.35 EF deep optical lattice moving
with velocity vL = 6 mm/s for a variable hold time. The thermal component shows a linear increase (dashed line), whereas
Ncond showed an accelerated loss, and is fit to a quadratic
function (solid line).

tion mechanism. Unpaired atoms in clouds with population imbalance may not play this role because of phaseseparation effects [22].
Another possible dissipation mechanism in a lattice isthe creation of two excitations through a dynamical or
modulational instability. Such an instability [23] occurs
already for weakly interacting particles moving througha lattice with momentum q, when they collide and scatter into states with momenta q ± δq, analogous to optical parametric generation [24]. This process is energetically possible only above 0.5 qB , where qB = h/2λL is
the Bragg momentum which defines the edge of the Brillouin zone. This corresponds to a velocity v = 11 mm/s
for fermion pairs (and twice this value for single atoms).
Since the highest critical velocities we observe are slightly
below this threshold, and strongly decrease already for
relatively small V0 , it is very unlikely, that dynamical
instabilities play a role in our experiments. Moreover,such instabilities should be strongly modified by Pauliblocking. For our ratio of local Fermi momentum tothe Bragg momentum of 0.9, the first band is nearly fullin the center of the cloud. For Bose-Einstein condensates, it has been recently predicted [25] and experimentally shown [14] that strong interactions can lower thethreshold for the dynamical instability, close to the Mottinsulator transition. The range of 1-D lattice depths explored here (V0 ≤ 2 Er ) is far from the 1D Mott-insulator
regime. We have observed the loss of coherence which

typically accompanies the superfluid to Mott insulationtransition to occur only beyond V0 " 25 Er .
In conclusion, we have used a novel optical lattice geometry to determine critical velocities in the BEC-BCS
crossover without the complications of strong density
inhomogeneity. This configuration could be applied tostudies in atomic Bose gases which so far have been limited by the inhomogeneous density [9, 10, 11, 12]. In
addition, it would be interesting to study dynamical instabilities for fermions and the role of Pauli blocking.
The authors would like to thank Aviv Keshet for experimental assistance. This research has been supported by
the NSF and the Office of Naval Research.

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