Dynamics of Bloch oscillations

Abstract

We study the dynamics of Bloch oscillations in a one-dimensional periodic potential plus a (relatively weak) static force. The tight-binding and single-band approximations are analysed in detail, and also in a classicalized version. A number of numerically exact results obtained from wavepacket propagation are analysed and interpreted in terms of the tight-binding and single-band model, both in co-ordinate and momentum space.