Magnetic super-exchange with ultra cold atoms in spin dependent optical lattices

The methods of atomic physics offer a unique opportunity to study strongly correlated many body systems. It is possible to confine BECs in periodic optical lattices to form an analog of a solid state system. The study of these cold atoms in optical lattice systems may prove a very useful testing ground for novel states of matter, testing fundamental condensed matter theory, and may help illuminate a possible connection between the mechanism behind high temperature superconductivity and quantum magnetism. This thesis will focus on trapping cold bosonic atoms in spin dependent optical lattices to engineer a system that behaves according to the Hubbard model. By loading the atoms into a state dependent lattice, it may be possible to explore the full phase space of the Heisenberg model and see magnetic super exchange-driven magnetic ordering in a variety of lattice geometries. The aim of this thesis is primarily to explore some of the tools that may be needed accomplish this task.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Physics.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Hucul, David (David Alexander)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Wolfgang Ketterle and David Pritchard.

• Physics.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/58068

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/58068