---
DOAJ_listed: '1'
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: gold
PlanS_conform: '1'
_id: '21660'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Kapitza-Dirac scattering, the diffraction of matter waves from a standing
    light field, is widely utilized in ultracold gases, but its behavior in the strongly
    interacting regime is an open question. Here, we develop a numerically exact two-body
    description of Kapitza-Dirac scattering for two contact-interacting atoms in a
    one-dimensional harmonic trap subjected to a pulsed optical lattice, enabling
    us to obtain the numerically exact dynamics. We map how interaction strength,
    lattice depth, lattice wave number, and pulse duration reshape the diffraction
    pattern, leading to an interaction-dependent population redistribution in real
    and momentum space. By comparing the exact dynamics to an impulsive sudden-approximation
    description, we delineate the parameter regimes where it remains accurate and
    those, notably at strong attraction and small lattice wave number, where it fails.
    Our results provide a controlled few-body benchmark for interacting Kapitza-Dirac
    scattering and quantitative guidance for Kapitza-Dirac-based probes of ultracold
    atomic systems.
acknowledgement: We thank Max Hachmann, Andreas Hemmerich, and Yann Kiefer for valuable
  discussions. This work has been funded by the Cluster of Excellence “Advanced Imaging
  of Matter” of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - EXC 2056 - Project ID
  390715994. G.M.K. has received funding by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) 10.55776/F1004.
article_number: '013297'
article_processing_charge: Yes
article_type: original
arxiv: 1
author:
- first_name: A.
  full_name: Becker, A.
  last_name: Becker
- first_name: Georgios
  full_name: Koutentakis, Georgios
  id: d7b23d3a-9e21-11ec-b482-f76739596b95
  last_name: Koutentakis
- first_name: P.
  full_name: Schmelcher, P.
  last_name: Schmelcher
citation:
  ama: Becker A, Koutentakis G, Schmelcher P. Two-body Kapitza-Dirac scattering of
    one-dimensional ultracold atoms. <i>Physical Review Research</i>. 2026;8. doi:<a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1103/rdsn-stlq">10.1103/rdsn-stlq</a>
  apa: Becker, A., Koutentakis, G., &#38; Schmelcher, P. (2026). Two-body Kapitza-Dirac
    scattering of one-dimensional ultracold atoms. <i>Physical Review Research</i>.
    American Physical Society. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1103/rdsn-stlq">https://doi.org/10.1103/rdsn-stlq</a>
  chicago: Becker, A., Georgios Koutentakis, and P. Schmelcher. “Two-Body Kapitza-Dirac
    Scattering of One-Dimensional Ultracold Atoms.” <i>Physical Review Research</i>.
    American Physical Society, 2026. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1103/rdsn-stlq">https://doi.org/10.1103/rdsn-stlq</a>.
  ieee: A. Becker, G. Koutentakis, and P. Schmelcher, “Two-body Kapitza-Dirac scattering
    of one-dimensional ultracold atoms,” <i>Physical Review Research</i>, vol. 8.
    American Physical Society, 2026.
  ista: Becker A, Koutentakis G, Schmelcher P. 2026. Two-body Kapitza-Dirac scattering
    of one-dimensional ultracold atoms. Physical Review Research. 8, 013297.
  mla: Becker, A., et al. “Two-Body Kapitza-Dirac Scattering of One-Dimensional Ultracold
    Atoms.” <i>Physical Review Research</i>, vol. 8, 013297, American Physical Society,
    2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1103/rdsn-stlq">10.1103/rdsn-stlq</a>.
  short: A. Becker, G. Koutentakis, P. Schmelcher, Physical Review Research 8 (2026).
corr_author: '1'
date_created: 2026-04-05T22:01:32Z
date_published: 2026-03-18T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-04-07T09:37:57Z
day: '18'
ddc:
- '530'
department:
- _id: MiLe
doi: 10.1103/rdsn-stlq
external_id:
  arxiv:
  - '2512.15260'
file:
- access_level: open_access
  checksum: 339bff9d13486a8028049404988b9b0b
  content_type: application/pdf
  creator: dernst
  date_created: 2026-04-07T09:34:31Z
  date_updated: 2026-04-07T09:34:31Z
  file_id: '21667'
  file_name: 2026_PhysicalReviewResearch_Becker.pdf
  file_size: 2131627
  relation: main_file
  success: 1
file_date_updated: 2026-04-07T09:34:31Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: '         8'
language:
- iso: eng
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
month: '03'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
project:
- _id: 7c040762-9f16-11ee-852c-dd79eeee4ab3
  grant_number: F100403
  name: Coherent Optical Metrology Beyond Electric-Dipole-Allowed Transitions
publication: Physical Review Research
publication_identifier:
  issn:
  - 2643-1564
publication_status: published
publisher: American Physical Society
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Two-body Kapitza-Dirac scattering of one-dimensional ultracold atoms
tmp:
  image: /images/cc_by.png
  legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
  name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
  short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 8
year: '2026'
...