Long-wavelength optical lattices from optical beatnotes: theory and applications

Abstract

We present a theoretical analysis of Beat-Note Superlattices (BNSLs), a recently demonstrated technique for generating periodic trapping potentials for ultracold atomic clouds, with arbitrarily large lattice spacings while maintaining interferometric stability. By combining two optical lattices with slightly different wavelengths, a beatnote intensity pattern is formed, generating, for low depths, an effective lattice potential with a periodicity equal to the wavelength associated to the difference between the wavevectors of the two lattices. We study the range of lattice depths and wavelengths under which this approximation is valid and investigate its robustness against perturbations. We present a few examples where the use of BNSLs could offer significant advantages in comparison to well established techniques for the manipulation of ultracold atomic gases. Our results highlight the potential of BNSLs for quantum simulation, atom interferometry, and other applications in quantum technologies.