Born-Oppenheimer description of two atoms in a combined oscillator and lattice trap

Abstract

We analyze the quantum states of two atoms in a combined harmonic oscillator and periodic lattice trap in one spatial dimension. In the case of tight-binding and only nearest neighbor tunneling, the equations of motion are conveniently represented in the momentum representation. We show that in the case of strong attraction between the particles, the different time scales of relative and center-of-mass motion validate a separation of the problem similar to the Born-Oppenheimer approximation applied in the description of electronic and nuclear motion in molecules.