Quantum many particle systems in ring-shaped optical lattices

In the present work we demonstrate how to realize 1d-optical closed lattice experimentally, including a {\it tunable} boundary phase-twist. The latter may induce ``persistent currents'', visible by studing the atoms' momentum distribution. We show how important phenomena in 1d-physics can be studied by physical realization of systems of trapped atoms in ring-shaped optical lattices. A mixture of bosonic and/or fermionic atoms can be loaded into the lattice, realizing a generic quantum system of many interacting particles.