Cold atoms and condensates in a harmonic trap with a tilted laser field: A new system for the study of quantum chaos

Summary form only given. We consider the semiclassical orbits of cold atoms in an optical lattice with a magnetically-induced harmonic trap. When the laser beams are aligned with a principal axis of the trap, the atoms follow regular classical paths. But when the laser beams are tilted at an angle to the axis, the atoms undergo a controllable transition from regular motion to strong classical chaos. Our work introduces atom traps in a tilted laser field as a new type of quantum chaotic system that is accessible to experiment.