Surface acoustic BLOCH oscillations, the Wannier-Stark ladder, and Landau-Zener tunneling in a solid.

Atomic Landau-Zener tunneling and Wannier-Stark ladders in optical potentials.

We calculate the quantum motion of ultracold atoms in an accelerating optical potential, and show how they may be used to observe Landau-Zener tunneling and Wannier-Stark ladders, two fundamental quantum effects in solid state physics. The optical potential is spatially periodic, yielding an energy spectrum of Bloch bands for the atoms. The acceleration provides an inertial force in the moving ...

Bloch oscillations, Zener tunneling, and Wannier-Stark ladders in the time domain.

Optical analogue of electronic Bloch oscillations.

We report on the observation of Bloch oscillations in light transport through periodic dielectric systems. By introducing a linear refractive index gradient along the propagation direction the optical equivalent of a Wannier-Stark ladder was obtained. Bloch oscillations were observed as time-resolved oscillations in transmission, in direct analogy to electronic Bloch oscillations in conducting ...

Interband optical investigation of Bloch oscillations in semiconductor superlattices

The experimental observation of Bloch oscillations in solids was long thought to be out of experimental reach. The invention of the semiconductor superlattice has changed this situation decisively. Transport experiments performed in the past two decades have given indirect evidence for the existence of Bloch oscillations. Recently, it has been possible to directly observe Bloch oscillations in ...

Bloch oscillations and Wannier Stark Ladder study in Semiconductor Superlattices

Président du jury : François JULIEN Directeur de Recherches(HDR), IEF – Univ. Paris Sud Rapporteurs : Olivier GAUTHIER-LAFAYE Chargé de Recherches(HDR), LAASUniv. Paul Sabatier Dominique COQUILLAT Directeur de Recherches(HDR), L2C –Univ. Montpellier 2 Examinateurs : Robson FERREIRA Directeur de Recherches(HDR), LPA – ENS de Paris Bloch oscillations and Wannier Stark Ladder study in Semiconducto...