Asymptotic symmetries in an optical lattice

Abstract

It was recently remarked by Lutz [{\it Phys. Rev. A} {\bf 67} (2003), 051402(R)] that the equation for the marginal Wigner distribution in an optical lattice admits a scale-free distribution corresponding to Tsallis statistics. Here we show that this distribution is invariant under an asymptotic symmetry of the equation, hence that this scale-free behavior can be understood in terms of symmetry analysis.