How to characterize the dynamics of cold atoms in non dissipative optical lattices?

D. Hennequin, P. Verkerk

EQEC 2009

The aim of this paper is to study experimentally the dynamics of atoms in various 2D or 3D optical potentials. In particular, we would like to be able to detect the existence of chaotic individual trajectories. We access the collective signatures through simulations of the atomic dynamics in different optical lattices: a standard square potential, which is either red or blue detuned, and a lattice developed in our group, made of a stack of ring traps.