Search

Robustness against perturbations lies at the heart of topological phenomena. If, however, a perturbation such as disorder becomes dominant, it may cause a topological phase transition between topologically non-trivial and trivial phases. Here we experimentally reveal the competition and interplay between topology and quasi-periodic disorder in a Thouless pump realized with ultracold atoms in an optical lattice, by creating a quasi-periodic potential from weak to strong regimes in a controllable manner. We demonstrate a disorder-induced pumping in which the presence of quasi-periodic disorder can induce a non-trivial pump for a specific pumping sequence, while no pump is observed in the clean limit. Our highly controllable system, which can also straightforwardly incorporate interatomic interaction, could be a unique platform for studying various disorder-related novel effects in a wide range of topological quantum phenomena., 9 + 9 pages, 5 + 9 figures

We consider the discrete directed polymer model with i.i.d. environment and we study the fluctuations of the tail n(d−2)/4(W∞−Wn) of the normalized partition function. It was proven by Comets and Liu (J. Math. Anal. Appl. 455 (2017) 312–335), that for sufficiently high temperature, the fluctuations converge in distribution towards the product of the limiting partition function and an independent Gaussian random variable. We extend the result to the whole L2-region of temperature, which is predicted to be the maximal high-temperature region where the Gaussian fluctuations should occur under the considered scaling. To do so, we manage to avoid the heavy 4th-moment computation and instead rely on the local limit theorem for polymers (Fund. Math. 147 (1995) 173–180; Ann. Inst. Henri Poincare Probab. Stat. 42 (2006) 521–534) and homogenization.

We study isotropic Gaussian random fields on the high-dimensional sphere with an added deterministic linear term, also known as mixed p-spin Hamiltonians with external field. We prove that if the external field is sufficiently strong, then the resulting function has trivial geometry, that is only two critical points. This contrasts with the situation of no or weak external field where these functions typically have an exponential number of critical points. We give an explicit threshold $h_c$ for the magnitude of the external fieldnecessary for trivialization and conjecture $h_c$ to be sharp. The Kac-Rice formula is our main tool. Our work extends [Fyo15], which identified the trivial regime for the special case of pure p-spin Hamiltonians with random external field., Comment: 34 pages, 1 figure

Nous etudions les fluctuations de la forme limite pour la percolation de premier passage dans $\mathbb{Z}^{d}$. Il est connu que ces fluctuations divergent dans le cas des lois de Bernoulli [Zhang (Probab. Theory. Related. Fields. 136 (2006) 298–320)]. Dans cet article, nous etendons ce resultat a toutes les lois.

In this paper, we study some properties of optimal paths in the first passage percolation on $$\mathbb {Z}^d$$ and show the following: (i) the number of optimal paths has an exponentially growth if the distribution has an atom; (ii) the means of intersection and union of optimal paths are linear in the distance. For the proofs, we use the resampling argument introduced in van den Berg and Kesten (Ann Appl Probab 3:56–80, 1993) with suitable adaptions.

We developed a laser system for the spectroscopy of the clock transition in ytterbium (Yb) atoms at 578 nm based on an interference-filter stabilized external-cavity diode laser (IFDL) emitting at 1156 nm. Owing to the improved frequency-to-current response of the laser-diode chip and the less sensitivity of the IFDL to mechanical perturbations, we succeeded in stabilizing the frequency to a high-finesse ultra-low-expansion glass cavity with a simple current feedback system. Using this laser system, we performed high-resolution clock spectroscopy of Yb and found that the linewidth of the stabilized laser was less than 320 Hz., 5 pages, 7 figures

We report an experimental study of dynamics of the metastable $^3P_2$ state of bosonic ytterbium atoms in an optical lattice. The dissipative Bose-Hubbard system with on-site two-body atom loss is realized via its intrinsic strong inelastic collision of the metastable $^3P_2$ atoms. We investigate the atom loss behavior with the unit-filling Mott insulator as the initial state and find that the atom loss is suppressed by the strong correlation between atoms. Also, as we decrease the potential depth of the lattice, we observe the growth of the phase coherence and find its suppression owing to the dissipation., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures

In this paper, we show that the first passage time in the frog model on $\mathbb{Z} ^{d}$ with $d\geq 2$ has a sublinear variance. This implies that the central limit theorem does not hold at least with the standard diffusive scaling. The proof is based on the method introduced in [4, 11] combined with a control of the maximal weight of paths in a locally dependent site-percolation. We also apply this method to get the linearity of the lengths of optimal paths.

We study non-random fluctuation in the first passage percolation on $\mathbb{Z}^d$ and show that it diverges for any dimension. We also prove the divergence of the non-random shape fluctuation, which was conjectured in [Yu Zhang. The divergence of fluctuations for shape in first passage percolation. {\em Probab. Theory. Related. Fields.} 136(2) 298--320, 2006]., 13 page, 4 figures, an early version of these results appeared in Sections 1.2 and 7 of arXiv:1706.03493. The proof becomes simpler than the first draft

Dissipation is ubiquitous in nature and plays a crucial role in quantum systems such as causing decoherence of quantum states. Recently, much attention has been paid to an intriguing possibility of dissipation as an efficient tool for preparation and manipulation of quantum states. Here we report the realization of successful demonstration of a novel role of dissipation in a quantum phase transition using cold atoms. We realize an engineered dissipative Bose-Hubbard system by introducing a controllable strength of two-body inelastic collision via photo-association for ultracold bosons in a three-dimensional optical lattice. In the dynamics subjected to a slow ramp-down of the optical lattice, we find that strong on-site dissipation favors the Mott insulating state: the melting of the Mott insulator is delayed and the growth of the phase coherence is suppressed. The controllability of the dissipation is highlighted by quenching the dissipation, providing a novel method for investigating a quantum many-body state and its non-equilibrium dynamics., 26 pages, 17 figures

We present a scanning probe microscopy technique for spatially resolving transport in cold atomic gases, in close analogy with scanning gate microscopy in semiconductor physics. The conductance of a quantum point contact connected to two atomic reservoirs is measured in the presence of a tightly focused laser beam acting as a local perturbation that can be precisely positioned in space. By scanning its position and recording the subsequent variations of conductance, we retrieve a high-resolution map of transport through a quantum point contact. We demonstrate a spatial resolution comparable to the extent of the transverse wave function of the atoms inside the channel, and a position sensitivity below 10nm. Our measurements agree well with an analytical model and ab-initio numerical simulations, allowing us to identify a regime in transport where tunneling dominates over thermal effects. Our technique opens new perspectives for the high-resolution observation and manipulation of cold atomic gases., Comment: 5 + 6 pages, 4 + 5 figures

We study the free energy and its relevant quantity for the directed polymer in random environment. The polymer is allowed to make unbounded jumps and the environment is given by the Bernoulli variables. We first establish the concentration of the ground state energy of polymer at zero temperature. Secondly, we also prove the same property of the free energy at finite temperature. In the proof, we use the fact that the maximum jump of any polymer nearly minimizing energy is not too large with high probability. This is an interesting property itself from the first passage percolation viewpoint.

While kinetic energy of a massive particle generally has quadratic dependence on its momentum, a flat, dispersionless energy band is realized in crystals with specific lattice structures. Such macroscopic degeneracy causes the emergence of localized eigenstates and has been a key concept in the context of itinerant ferromagnetism. Here we report the realization of a "Lieb lattice" configuration with an optical lattice, which has a flat energy band as the first excited state. Our optical lattice potential possesses various degrees of freedom about its manipulation, which enables coherent transfer of a Bose-Einstein condensate into the flat band. In addition to measuring lifetime of the flat band population for different tight-binding parameters, we investigate the inter-sublattice dynamics of the system by projecting the sublattice population onto the band population. This measurement clearly shows the formation of the localized state with the specific sublattice decoupled in the flat band, and even detects the presence of flat-band breaking perturbations, resulting in the delocalization. Our results will open up the possibilities of exploring physics of flat band with a highly controllable quantum system., 13 pages, 9 figures. v2: Title changed, 1 reference corrected

We study asymptotics of the free energy for the directed polymer in random environment. The polymer is allowed to make unbounded jumps and the environment is given by Bernoulli variables. We first establish the existence and continuity of the free energy including the negative infinity value of the coupling constant $\beta$. Our proof of existence at $\beta=-\infty$ differs from existing ones in that it avoids the direct use of subadditivity. Secondly, we identify the asymptotics of the free energy at $\beta=-\infty$ in the limit of the success probability of the Bernoulli variables tending to one. It is described by using the so-called time constant of a certain directed first passage percolation. Our proof relies on a certain continuity property of the time constant, which is of independent interest., Comment: 24 pages, Corrected typos

A gas of electrons in a one-dimensional periodic potential can be transported even in the absence of a voltage bias if the potential is modulated slowly and periodically in time. Remarkably, the transferred charge per cycle is only sensitive to the topology of the path in parameter space. Although this so-called Thouless charge pump has first been proposed more than thirty years ago, it has not yet been realized. Here we report the first demonstration of topological Thouless pumping using ultracold atoms in a dynamically controlled optical superlattice. We observe a shift of the atomic cloud as a result of pumping and extract the topological invariance of the pumping process from this shift. We demonstrate the topological nature of the Thouless pump by varying the topology of the pumping path and verify that the topological pump indeed works in the quantum region by varying speed and temperature., Comment: 15 pages, 15 figures

We develop an optical lattice system for an ultracold atomic gas mixture of ytterbium (174Yb) and lithium (6Li), which is an ideal system to study disorder and impurity problems. We load a Bose-Einstein condensate of 174Yb into a three-dimensional optical lattice and observe the interference patterns in time-of-flight (TOF) images. Furthermore, we perform a laser spectroscopy of 174Yb in an optical lattice using the ultra-narrow optical transition 1S0-3P2 in both cases with and without 6Li. Due to the weak interspecies interaction, we do not observe the clear influences of 6Li in the obtained interference patterns and the excitation spectra. However, this is an important first step of optical control of atomic impurity in ultracold fermions. We also measure the polarizabilities of the 3P2 state of 174Yb atoms in an optical trap with a wavelength of 1070 nm. We reveal that the polarizability can be tuned to positive, zero, or the same as the ground state, which are useful for certain applications., 9 pages, 6 figures

A multidegree-of-freedom ultrasonic motor (MDOF-USM) has excellent features such as high torque at a low speed and a self-holding force, compared with other types of MDOF motor. Therefore, the MDOF-USM has been considered for applications in robot joints, multidimensional systems, and spacecraft. In previous research, the MDOF-USM consisting of a spherical rotor and a stator vibrator of various shapes has been mainly studied. In contrast, the MDOF-USM consisting of a spherical stator and a rotor of various shapes is proposed in this paper. The excitation methods for vibration modes and mode rotation using piezoelectric plates and multilayered piezoelectric actuators were examined. Furthermore, a stator support method that does not significantly affect the vibration of the sphere was devised. From the results of experiments using the fabricated prototype stator, the generation of vibration mode and mode rotation were confirmed. Therefore, the possibility of the realization of the MDOF-USM using a spherical stator was indicated.

The binding energy of an Efimov trimer state was precisely determined via radio-frequency association. It is found that the measurement results shift significantly with temperature, but that the shift becomes negligible at the lowest temperature in our experiment. The shift-free part of the trimer binding energy reveals a significant deviation from the nonuniversal theory prediction based on a three-body parameter with a monotonic binding-energy dependence.

The binding energy of an Efimov trimer state was precisely determined via radio-frequency association. It is found that the measurement results shift significantly with temperature, but that the shift becomes negligible at the lowest temperature in our experiment. The shift-free part of the trimer binding energy reveals a significant deviation from the nonuniversal theory prediction based on a three-body parameter with a monotonic binding-energy dependence.

We observed an enhanced atom-dimer loss due to the existence of Efimov states in a three-component mixture of $^{6}\mathrm{Li}$ atoms. We measured the magnetic-field dependence of the atom-dimer loss in the mixture of atoms in state $|1⟩$ and dimers formed in states $|2⟩$ and $|3⟩$, and found two peaks corresponding to the degeneracy points of the energy levels of $|23⟩$ dimers and the ground and first excited Efimov trimers. We found that the locations of these peaks disagree with universal theory predictions, in a way that cannot be explained by nonuniversal two-body properties. We constructed theoretical models that characterize the nonuniversal three-body physics of three-component $^{6}\mathrm{Li}$ atoms in the low-energy domain.

We observed an enhanced atom-dimer loss due to the existence of Efimov states in a three-component mixture of 6Li atoms. We measured the magnetic-field dependence of the atom-dimer loss in the mixture of atoms in state |1and dimers formed in states |2and |3, and found two peaks corresponding to the degeneracy points of the energy levels of |23dimers and the ground and first excited Efimov trimers. We found that the locations of these peaks disagree with universal theory predictions, in a way that cannot be explained by nonuniversal two-body properties. We constructed theoretical models that characterize the nonuniversal three-body physics of three-component 6Li atoms in the low-energy domain.

We report on measurements of the critical temperature and the temperature dependence of the condensate fraction for a fermion pair condensate of $^{6}\mathrm{Li}$ atoms. Bragg spectroscopy is employed to determine the critical temperature and the condensate fraction after a fast magnetic field ramp to the molecular side of the Feshbach resonance. Our measurements reveal evidence of level off of the critical temperature and limiting behavior of condensate fraction near the unitarity limit.

properties of 6 Li 2 p-wave Feshbach molecules. To suppress the loss of molecules due to atom-dimer collisions, we blew away residual atoms by irradiating a resonant light pulse immediately after the molecules were created [25‐ 27]. The resultant pure molecular sample in an optical trap enabled us to measure the inelastic decay rates of molecules precisely. We measured the atom-dimer and dimerdimer inelastic collision coefficients from the decay of molecules. We also measured the dimer-dimer elastic collision rate from the thermalization time of breathing-mode oscillations of the cloud which were spontaneously excited

Through a particle-simulation investigation, a new mode-conversion process, through which an incident fast extraordinary mode (fast X mode) is converted into an electron Bernstein mode (B mode) via a (slow extraordinary mode slow X mode), is discovered in plasmas whose maximum density exceeds the cutoff density of the slow X mode. The converted B mode is found to heat the electrons efficiently in an overdense plasma region, when the plasma has the optimum density gradient at the plasma surface.