04213nas a2200241 4500008004100000245006900041210006800110260001500178300001100193490000800204520348600212100001503698700002303713700002403736700001903760700001903779700002503798700002503823700001803848700002103866700002403887856006003911 2018 eng d00aDark state optical lattice with sub-wavelength spatial structure0 aDark state optical lattice with subwavelength spatial structure c2018/02/20 a0836010 v1203 a

We report on the experimental realization of a conservative optical lattice for cold atoms with a subwavelength spatial structure. The potential is based on the nonlinear optical response of three-level atoms in laser-dressed dark states, which is not constrained by the diffraction limit of the light generating the potential. The lattice consists of a one-dimensional array of ultranarrow barriers with widths less than 10 nm, well below the wavelength of the lattice light, physically realizing a Kronig-Penney potential. We study the band structure and dissipation of this lattice and find good agreement with theoretical predictions. Even on resonance, the observed lifetimes of atoms trapped in the lattice are as long as 44 ms, nearly 105times the excited state lifetime, and could be further improved with more laser intensity. The potential is readily generalizable to higher dimensions and different geometries, allowing, for example, nearly perfect box traps, narrow tunnel junctions for atomtronics applications, and dynamically generated lattices with subwavelength spacings.

1 aWang, Yang1 aSubhankar, Sarthak1 aBienias, Przemyslaw1 aLacki, Mateusz1 aTsui, Tsz-Chun1 aBaranov, Mikhail, A.1 aGorshkov, Alexey, V.1 aZoller, Peter1 aPorto, James, V.1 aRolston, Steven, L. uhttps://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.083601