Artificial electromagnetism for neutral atoms: Escher staircases and Laughlin liquids
Abstract
Cold gas experimentalists are attempting to produce analogs of solid state systems by placing neutral atoms in periodic `optical lattice' potentials. I show how lasers can manipulate the internal states of such atoms to simulate the effects of electric and magnetic fields on charged particles. Unlike similar ideas of Jaksch and Zoller [New J. Phys. 5, 56 (2003)], an external linear potential is unnecessary. Since these effective electric and magnetic fields do not obey Maxwell's equations, seemingly paradoxical geometries are possible. For example, one can construct a ring of sites where an atoms potential energy continuously decreases as it moves in a clockwise direction.
- Publication:
-
APS March Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- March 2004
- Bibcode:
- 2004APS..MARP28010M