  We report on the realization of a multi-orbital system with ultracold atoms
in the excited bands of a 3D optical lattice by selectively controlling the
band population along a given lattice direction. The lifetime of the atoms in
the excited band is found to be considerably longer (10-100 times) than the
characteristic time scale for inter-site tunneling, thus opening the path for
orbital selective many-body physics with ultracold atoms. Upon exciting the
atoms from an initial lowest band Mott insulating state to higher lying bands,
we observe the dynamical emergence of coherence in 1D (and 2D), compatible with
Bose-Einstein condensation to a non-zero momentum state.
