Two-Body Kapitza-Dirac Scattering of One-Dimensional Ultracold Atoms

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2512.15260v1
• Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2025 10:06:41 GMT
• Title: Two-Body Kapitza-Dirac Scattering of One-Dimensional Ultracold Atoms
• Authors: André Becker, Georgios M. Koutentakis, Peter Schmelcher,
• Abstract summary: We develop a numerically-exact two-body description of Kapitza-Dirac scattering for two contact-interacting atoms in a one-dimensional harmonic trap.<n>We map how interaction strength, lattice depth, lattice wavenumber, and pulse duration reshape the diffraction pattern, leading to an interaction-dependent population redistribution in real and momentum-space.<n>Our results provide a controlled few-body benchmark for interacting Kapitza-Dirac scattering and quantitative guidance for Kapitza-Dirac-based probes of ultracold atomic systems.
• Score: 0.0
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: Kapitza-Dirac scattering, the diffraction of matter waves from a standing light field, is widely utilized in ultracold gases, but its behavior in the strongly interacting regime is an open question. Here we develop a numerically-exact two-body description of Kapitza-Dirac scattering for two contact-interacting atoms in a one-dimensional harmonic trap subjected to a pulsed optical lattice, enabling us to obtain the numerically exact dynamics. We map how interaction strength, lattice depth, lattice wavenumber, and pulse duration reshape the diffraction pattern, leading to an interaction-dependent population redistribution in real and momentum-space. By comparing the exact dynamics to an impulsive sudden-approximation description, we delineate the parameter regimes where it remains accurate and those, notably at strong attraction and small lattice wavenumber, where it fails. Our results provide a controlled few-body benchmark for interacting Kapitza-Dirac scattering and quantitative guidance for Kapitza-Dirac-based probes of ultracold atomic systems.

Related papers

• Emergence of Turbulence in a counterflow geometry of 2D Polariton Quantum Fluids [0.0]
  We numerically investigate the nonlinear dynamics of a two-dimensional exciton-polariton quantum fluid driven by two counter-propagating laser beams.<n>We identify four distinct regimes-linear, solitonic, turbulent, and superfluid-emerging from the interplay between pump strength, laser detuning, and injected momentum.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2026-03-05T12:53:14Z)
• Robust Superradiance and Spontaneous Spin Ordering in Disordered Waveguide QED [0.0]
  We study the collective emission of a disordered array of $N$ excited two-level atoms into a one-dimensional photonic waveguide.<n>Using large-scale semiclassical simulations, we find that this key signature of superradiance remains robust under strong spatial and spectral disorder.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-10-15T15:30:30Z)
• Nonclassical Driven-Dissipative Dynamics in Collective Quantum Optics [51.56484100374058]
  We study ensembles of interacting quantum emitters coherently driven by a laser field and coupled to photonic structures.<n>We find that off-resonant virtual states may gain population through dissipation, redefining their role in open systems.<n>Our models address challenges like inhomogeneous broadening and decoherence, demonstrating the feasibility of harnessing cooperative light-matter effects for quantum technologies.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-09-12T20:01:55Z)
• Super- and subradiant dynamics of quantum emitters mediated by atomic matter waves [0.0]
  We explore cooperative dynamics of quantum emitters in an optical lattice that interact by radiating atomic matter waves. We demonstrate directional super- and subradiance from a superfluid phase with tunable radiative phase lags. We observe a coupling to collective bound states with radiation trapped at and between the emitters.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-11-16T00:37:06Z)
• Observation of superradiant bursts in a cascaded quantum system [0.0]
  Dicke superradiance describes the collective radiative decay of a fully inverted ensemble of two-level atoms. We experimentally investigate this effect for a chiral, i.e.,direction-dependent light--matter coupling. Our results shed light on the collective radiative dynamics of cascaded quantum many-body systems.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2022-11-16T14:36:10Z)
• Probing dynamics of a two-dimensional dipolar spin ensemble using single qubit sensor [62.997667081978825]
  We experimentally investigate individual spin dynamics in a two-dimensional ensemble of electron spins on the surface of a diamond crystal. We show that this anomalously slow relaxation rate is due to the presence of strong dynamical disorder. Our work paves the way towards microscopic study and control of quantum thermalization in strongly interacting disordered spin ensembles.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2022-07-21T18:00:17Z)
• Unconventional Quantum Electrodynamics with Hofstadter-Ladder Waveguide [5.693517450178467]
  We propose a novel quantum electrodynamics (QED) platform where quantum emitters interact with a Hofstadter-ladder waveguide. By assuming emitter's frequency to be resonant with the lower band, we find that the spontaneous emission is chiral. Due to quantum interference, we find that both the emitter-waveguide interaction and the amplitudes of bound states are periodically modulated by giant emitter's size.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2022-03-21T07:07:26Z)
• Tunable Anderson Localization of Dark States [146.2730735143614]
  We experimentally study Anderson localization in a superconducting waveguide quantum electrodynamics system. We observe an exponential suppression of the transmission coefficient in the vicinity of its subradiant dark modes. The experiment opens the door to the study of various localization phenomena on a new platform.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2021-05-25T07:52:52Z)
• Probing particle-particle correlation in harmonic traps with twisted light [0.0]
  We explore the potential of twisted light as a tool to unveil many-body effects in parabolically confined systems. We demonstrate the ability of the proposed twisted light probe to capture the transition of interacting fermions into a strongly correlated regime. These features, observed in exact calculations for two electrons, are reproduced in adiabatic Time Dependent Density Functional Theory simulations.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2021-05-12T16:07:59Z)
• Controlled coherent dynamics of [VO(TPP)], a prototype molecular nuclear qudit with an electronic ancilla [50.002949299918136]
  We show that [VO(TPP)] (vanadyl tetraphenylporphyrinate) is a promising system suitable to implement quantum computation algorithms. It embeds an electronic spin 1/2 coupled through hyperfine interaction to a nuclear spin 7/2, both characterized by remarkable coherence.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2021-03-15T21:38:41Z)
• Quantum chaos driven by long-range waveguide-mediated interactions [125.99533416395765]
  We study theoretically quantum states of a pair of photons interacting with a finite periodic array of two-level atoms in a waveguide. Our calculation reveals two-polariton eigenstates that have a highly irregular wave-function in real space.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2020-11-24T07:06:36Z)
• Theory of waveguide-QED with moving emitters [68.8204255655161]
  We study a system composed by a waveguide and a moving quantum emitter in the single excitation subspace. We first characterize single-photon scattering off a single moving quantum emitter, showing both nonreciprocal transmission and recoil-induced reduction of the quantum emitter motional energy.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2020-03-20T12:14:10Z)

This list is automatically generated from the titles and abstracts of the papers in this site.

This site does not guarantee the quality of this site (including all information) and is not responsible for any consequences.