Abstract: We report an experimental method to create optical lattices with
real-time control of their periodicity. We demonstrate a continuous change
of the lattice periodicity from 0.96 ?m to 11.2 ?m in one second, while the
center fringe only moves less than 2.7 ?m during the whole process. This
provides a powerful tool for controlling ultracold atoms in optical lattices,
where small spacing is essential for quantum tunneling, and large spacing
enables single-site manipulation and spatially resolved detection.