= Cold-atom Bloch oscillation experiment
In a 1996 experiment, ultracold cesium atoms were loaded into the lowest band of an optical standing wave made with $852\,\mathrm{nm}$ light. Chirping the frequency difference of its counterpropagating beams accelerated the lattice, producing a constant inertial force in its frame. Switching off the lattice after different evolution times allowed momentum-distribution measurements. The observed oscillations tested the periodic band velocity underlying a <Bloch oscillation>; the lattice period and imposed acceleration controlled the oscillation frequency.<Bloch Oscillations of Atoms in an Optical Potential by Maxime Dahan and others>[Physical Review Letters 76, pp. 4508–4509: optical preparation, accelerating lattice, time-dependent momentum distribution]{ref}
Back to article page
