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Probing quantum phase transitions at the single-atom level
The Quantum Gas Microscope enables high fidelity detection of single atoms in a Hubbard-regime optical lattice, bringing ultracold atom research to a new, microscopic level. We investigate the Bose-Hubbard model using space- and time-resolved characterization of the number statistics across the superfluid – Mott insulator quantum phase transition. Site-resolved probing of fluctuations provides us with a sensitive local thermometer, allows us to identify microscopic heterostructures of low entropy Mott domains, and enables us to measure local quantum dynamics, revealing surprisingly fast transition timescales. Our results may serve as a benchmark for theoretical studies of quantum dynamics, and open new possibilities for realizing and probing quantum magnetism.