We show that the energy spectrum of the Bose-Hubbard model amended by a static field exhibits Wigner-Dyson level statistics. In itself a characteristic signature of quantum chaos, this induces the irreversible decay of Bloch oscillations of cold, interacting atoms loaded into an optical lattice, and provides a Hamiltonian model for interaction-induced decoherence.

• Received 19 May 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.91.253002