Investigating Cold Atom Transport in Optical Lattices and Ratchets

We experimentally investigate cold atom transport in optical lattices and ratchets in an undergraduate setting using home-built laser and imaging systems. It is well-known that the transport properties exhibited in these situations by ultracold atoms depart from the usual framework of Boltzmann-Gibbs statistical mechanics. We describe methods to quantify these departures by tracking the atomic momentum and spatial distribution, and measuring the ``dwell time'' and ``crossover time,'' respectively, in a particular well and between wells.