Observation of Confinement-Induced Resonances in a 3D Lattice

Abstract

We report on the observation of confinement-induced resonances for strong three-dimensional (3D) confinement in a lattice potential. Starting from a Mott-insulator state with predominantly single-site occupancy, we detect loss and heating features at specific values for the confinement length and the 3D scattering length. Two independent models, based on the coupling between the center-of-mass and the relative motion of the particles as mediated by the lattice, predict the resonance positions to a good approximation, suggesting a universal behavior. Our results extend confinement-induced resonances to any dimensionality and open up an alternative method for interaction tuning and controlled molecule formation under strong 3D confinement.