  We present a method for transferring bosonic atoms residing on the lowest
s-band of an optical lattice to the first excited p-bands. Our idea hinges on
resonant tunneling between adjacent sites of accelerated lattices. The
acceleration effectively shifts the quasi-bound energies on each site such that
the system can be cast into a Wannier-Stark ladder problem. By adjusting the
acceleration constant, a situation of resonant tunneling between the s- and
p-bands is achievable. Within a mean-field model, considering 87Rb atoms, we
demonstrate population transfer from the s- to the p-bands with around 95 %
efficiency. Nonlinear effects deriving from atom-atom interactions, as well as
coupling of the quasi bound Wannier-Stark states to the continuum, are
considered.
