Spin gradient thermometry for ultracold atoms in optical lattices
Abstract
We demonstrate spin gradient thermometry, a new general method of measuring the temperature of ultracold atoms in optical lattices. We realize a mixture of spins separated by a magnetic field gradient. Measurement of the width of the transition layer between the two spin domains serves as a new method of thermometry which is observed to work over a broad range of lattice depths and temperatures, including in the Mott insulator regime. We demonstrate the thermometry in a system of ultracold rubidium atoms, and suggest that interesting spin physics can be realized in this system. The lowest measured temperature is 1 nK, indicating that the system has reached the quantum regime, where insulating shells are separated by superfluid layers.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.0908.3046,
title = {Spin gradient thermometry for ultracold atoms in optical lattices},
author = {David M. Weld and Patrick Medley and Hirokazu Miyake and David Hucul and David E. Pritchard and Wolfgang Ketterle},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0908.3046},
year = {2010}
}
Comments
5 pages, 3 figures, minor edits for clarity