Rapid generation of Mott insulators from arrays of noncondensed atoms

We theoretically analyze a scheme for a fast adiabatic transfer of cold atoms from the atomic limit of isolated traps to a Mott-insulator close to the superfluid phase. This gives access to the Bose-Hubbard physics without the need of a prior Bose-Einstein condensate. The initial state can be prepared by combining the deterministic assembly of atomic arrays with resolved Raman sideband cooling. In the subsequent transfer the trap depth is reduced significantly. We derive conditions for the adiabaticity of this process and calculate optimal adiabatic ramp shapes. Using available experimental parameters, we estimate the impact of heating due to photon scattering and compute the fidelity of the transfer scheme. Finally, we discuss the particle number scaling behavior of the method for preparing low-entropy states. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed scheme with state-of-the-art technology.