Spin Pumping and Measurement of Spin Currents in Optical Superlattices

Schweizer, C.; Lohse, M.; Citro, R. and Bloch, Immanuel (2016): Spin Pumping and Measurement of Spin Currents in Optical Superlattices. In: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 117, No. 17, 170405

Abstract

We report on the experimental implementation of a spin pump with ultracold bosonic atoms in an optical superlattice. In the limit of isolated double wells, it represents a 1D dynamical version of the quantum spin Hall effect. Starting from an antiferromagnetically ordered spin chain, we periodically vary the underlying spin-dependent Hamiltonian and observe a spin current without charge transport. We demonstrate a novel detection method to measure spin currents in optical lattices via superexchange oscillations emerging after a projection onto static double wells. Furthermore, we directly verify spin transport through in situ measurements of the spins' center-of-mass displacement.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Faculties: Physics
• Subjects: 500 Science > 530 Physics
• ISSN: 0031-9007
• Language: English