Dynamical control of cold bosons using oscillating potentials

The dynamics of cold bosonic atoms held in an optical lattice can be profoundly modified by using a periodic driving potential to induce the quantum interference effect termed "coherent destruction of tunneling". In this way the entanglement and localization of individual particles [1] can be very precisely controlled, pointing to the attractive possibility of using these systems for quantum information processing. This tunneling control also allows the effects of inter-particle interactions to be manipulated in a novel fashion, thereby giving precise control of the quantum phase transition [2] between the Mott insulator and the superfluid, and also providing a convenient means to manipulate the self trapping effect [3].