Extended Bose-Hubbard model with pair hopping on triangular lattice

We study systematically an extended Bose-Hubbard model on the triangular lattice by means of a meanfield method based on the Gutzwiller ansatz. Pair hopping terms are explicitly included and a three-body constraint is applied. The zero-temperature phase diagram and a variety of quantum phase transitions are investigated in great detail. In particular, we show the existence and the stability of the pair supersolid phase.     

Bosonic superfluid-insulator transition in continuous space

We investigate the zero-temperature phase diagram of interacting Bose gases in the presence of a simple cubic optical lattice, going beyond the regime where the mapping to the single-band Bose-Hubbard model is reliable. Our computational approach is a new hybrid quantum Monte?Carlo method which combines algorithms used to simulate homogeneous quantum fluids in continuous space with those used for discrete lattice models of strongly correlated systems. We determine the critical interaction strength and optical lattice intensity where the superfluid-to-insulator transition takes place, considering also the regime of shallow optical lattices and strong interatomic interactions. The implications of our findings for the supersolid state of matter are discussed.     

Two-dimensional quantum-spin-1/2 XXZ magnet in zero magnetic field: Global thermodynamics from renormalisation group theory

Phase diagram, critical properties and thermodynamic functions of the two-dimensional field-free quantum-spin-1/2 XXZ model has been calculated globally using a numerical renormalisation group theory. The nearest-neighbour spin-spin correlations and entanglement properties, as well as internal energy and specific heat are calculated globally at all temperatures for the whole range of exchange interaction anisotropy, from XY limit to Ising limits, for both antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic cases. We show that there exists long-range (quasi-long-range) order at low-temperatures, and the low-lying excitations are gapped (gapless) in the Ising-like easy-axis (XY-like easy-plane) regime. Besides, we identify quantum phase transitions at zero-temperature.     

Critical Phenomena in Light–Matter Systems with Collective Matter Interactions

We study the quantum phase diagram and the onset of quantum critical phenomena in a generalized Dicke model that includes collective qubit–qubit interactions. By employing semiclassical techniques, we analyze the corresponding classical energy surfaces, fixed points, and the smooth Density of States as a function of the Hamiltonian parameters to determine quantum phase transitions in either the ground (QPT) or excited states (ESQPT). We unveil a rich phase diagram, the presence of new phases, and new transitions that result from varying the strength of the qubits interactions in independent canonical directions. We also find a correspondence between the phases emerging due to qubit interactions and those in their absence but with varying the strength of the non-resonant terms in the light–matter coupling. We expect our work to pave the way and stimulate the exploration of quantum criticality in systems combining matter–matter and light–matter interactions.     

Nonequilibrium dynamics of the Bose-Hubbard model: a projection-operator approach

We study the phase diagram and nonequilibrium dynamics involving ramp of the hopping amplitude J(t)=Jt/τ with ramp time τ of the Bose-Hubbard model at zero temperature using a projection-operator formalism which allows us to incorporate the effects of quantum fluctuations beyond mean-field approximations in the strong-coupling regime. Our formalism yields a phase diagram which provides a near exact match with quantum Monte Carlo results in three dimensions. We also compute the residual energy Q, the superfluid order parameter Δ(t), the equal-time order parameter correlation function C(t), and the wave function overlap F which yields the defect formation probability P during nonequilibrium dynamics of the model. We find that Q, F, and P do not exhibit the expected universal scaling. We explain this absence of universality and show that our results compare well with recent experiments.     

Boson Mott insulators at finite temperatures

We discuss the finite temperature properties of ultracold bosons in optical lattices in the presence of an additional, smoothly varying potential, as in current experiments. Three regimes emerge in the phase diagram: a low-temperature Mott regime similar to the zero-temperature quantum phase, an intermediate regime where Mott insulator features persist, but where superfluidity is absent, and a thermal regime where features of the Mott insulator state have disappeared. We obtain the thermodynamic functions of the Mott phase in the latter cases. The results are used to estimate the temperatures achieved by adiabatic loading in current experiments. We point out the crucial role of the trapping potential in determining the final temperature, and suggest a scheme for further cooling by adiabatic decompression.     

Magnetic phase diagram of an extended Hubbard model at half filling: Possible application for strongly correlated iron pnictides

We study the magnetic phase diagram within an extended half-filled Hubbard model, focusing on the roles of the next-nearest-neighbor (NNN) and the next-next-nearest-neighbor (3rd NN) hoppings in the magnetic configurations. We find that due to the spin frustration from the long range hopping and the competition between long-range hopping and Coulomb correlation, the striped antiferromagnetic (AFM) phase is stable when the NNN hopping is dominant, while the bicollinear AFM phase is robust when the 3rd NN hopping is considerably large. The triple points are found in various magnetic phase diagrams. Possible applications of the present theory on intermediately correlated LaFeAsO and strongly correlated FeTe are discussed.     

Effective Interactions Due to Quantum Fluctuations

A class of quantum lattice models is considered, with Hamiltonians consisting of a classical (diagonal) part and a small off-diagonal part (e.g. hopping terms). In some cases when the classical part has an infinite degeneracy of ground states, the quantum perturbation may stabilize some of them. The mechanism of this stabilization stems from effective potential created by the quantum perturbation. Conditions are found when this strategy can be rigorously controlled and the low temperature phase diagram of the full quantum model can be proven to be a small deformation of the zero temperature phase diagram of the classical part with the effective potential added. As illustrations we discuss the asymmetric Hubbard model and the Bose–Hubbard model. Received: 28 April 1998 / Accepted: 19 March 1999     

Confinement-deconfinement interplay in quantum phases of doped Mott insulators

In the t-J model, the electron fractionalization is dictated by the phase string effect. We find that in the underdoped regime, the antiferromagnetic and superconducting phases are dual: in the former, holons are confined while spinons are deconfined, and vice?versa in the latter. These two phases are separated by a novel phase, the so-called Bose-insulating phase, where both holons and spinons are deconfined. A pair of Wilson loops was found to constitute a complete set of order parameters determining this zero-temperature phase diagram. The quantum phase transitions between these phases are suggested to be of non-Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson type.     

Free fermion approximation for the Ising model with further-neighbor interactions on a triangular lattice

The free fermion solution/approximation for the Ising model on a triangular lattice with further-neighbor interactions is derived, using Vdovichenko's method. For isotropic first- and second-neighbor interactionsK,L0, the approximation is a strict lower bound for the partition sum. We have also obtained the approximate critical surface, where the critical behavior is Ising-like, and the exact zero-temperature phase diagram when the interactions are isotropic. A recent extension of the method of Vdovichenko due to Calheiroset al. makes it easy to give the surface free energy and the equilibrium crystal shape as well, in the ferromagnetic regime and for a regime where the phase is ordered in layers.     

Charge-Stripe Phases Versus a Weak Anisotropy of Nearest-Neighbor Hopping

Recently, we demonstrated rigorously the stability of charge-stripe phases in 2D quantum-particle systems that are described by extended Falicov–Kimball Hamiltonians, with the quantum hopping particles being either spinless fermions or hardcore bosons. In this paper, by means of the same methods, we show that an arbitrary small anisotropy of nearest-neighbor hopping eliminates the π/2-rotation degeneracy of dimeric and axial-stripe phases and orients them in the direction of the weaker hopping. Due to the same anisotropy the obtained phase diagrams of fermions show a tendency to become similar to those of hardcore bosons. PACS numbers: 71.10.Fd, 71.10.−w, 71.27.+a, 67.40.Db     

Quantum phase transition of ultracold bosons in double-well optical lattices

We study the superfluid-to-Mott insulator transition of bosons in a two-legged ladder optical lattice of a type accessible in current experiments on double-well optical lattices. The zero-temperature phase diagram is mapped out, with a focus on its dependence upon interchain hopping and the tilt between double wells. We find that the unit-filling Mott phase exhibits a nonmonotonic behavior as a function of the tilt parameter, producing a reentrant phase transition between the Mott insulator and superfluid phases.     

Disappearance of the Dirac cone in silicene due to the presence of an electric field

Using the two-dimensional ionic Hubbard model as a simple basis for describing the electronic structure of silicene in the presence of an electric field induced by the substrate, we use the coherent-potential approximation to calculate tbe zero-temperature phase diagram and the associated spectral function at half filling. We find that any degree of symmetry- breaking induced by the electric field causes the silicene structure to lose its Dirac fermion characteristics, thus providing a simple mechanism for the disappearance of the Dirac cone.     

Ground state properties of an asymmetric Hubbard model for unbalanced ultracold fermionic quantum gases

In order to describe unbalanced ultracold fermionic quantum gases on optical lattices in a harmonic trap, we investigate an attractive (U < 0) asymmetric (t_↑≠t_↓) Hubbard model with a Zeeman-like magnetic field. In view of the model's spatial inhomogeneity, we focus in this paper on the solution at Hartree-Fock level. The Hartree-Fock Hamiltonian is diagonalized with particular emphasis on superfluid phases. For the special case of spin-independent hopping we analytically determine the number of solutions of the resulting self-consistency equations and the nature of the possible ground states at weak coupling. We present the phase diagram of the homogeneous system and numerical results for unbalanced Fermi-mixtures obtained within the local density approximation. In particular, we find a fascinating shell structure, involving normal and superfluid phases. For the general case of spin-dependent hopping we calculate the density of states and the possible superfluid phases in the ground state. In particular, we find a new magnetized superfluid phase.     

Quasi-one-dimensional polarized fermi superfluids

We calculate the zero-temperature (T=0) phase diagram of a polarized two-component Fermi gas in an array of weakly coupled parallel one-dimensional (1D) "tubes" produced by a two-dimensional optical lattice. Increasing the lattice strength drives a crossover from three-dimensional (3D) to 1D behavior, stabilizing the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) modulated superfluid phase. We argue that the most promising regime for observing the FFLO phase is in the quasi-1D regime, where the atomic motion is largely 1D but there is weak tunneling in the other directions that stabilizes long-range order. In the FFLO phase, we describe a phase transition where the quasiparticle spectrum changes from gapless near the 3D regime to gapped in quasi-1D.     

On Quantum Phase Transition. II. The Falicov–Kimball Model

The Falicov–Kimball (FK) model⁽¹⁾ involves two types of interacting particles: first the itinerant spinless electrons are quantum particles, secondly the static ions are classical particles. It is striking to see that, despite the simplicity of its hamiltonian, the phase diagram of the FK model is highly sophisticated, moreover it remains in great part conjectural. An antiferromagnetic phase transition was proven for the FK model on a square lattice in the seminal paper of T. Kennedy and E. Lieb.⁽²⁾ This result was extended by Lebowitz and Macris⁽³⁾ to small magnetic field. Then the same result was obtained by using a new method.⁽⁴⁾ The main results of this paper concerns the two dimensional FK model on a square lattice, for which we apply the general results contained in ref. 5. First there exists an effective hamiltonian which is a long range many body Ising model, and which governs the behaviour of the ions. Secondly we compute explicitly the truncated effective hamiltonian up to the fourth order w.r.t. a small parameter (the inverse of the on site energy). Finally we use the classical Pirogov–Sinai theory, to get the hierarchy of the phase diagrams up to the fourth order. More precisely, we show that, when the chemical potential varies, the FK model exhibits, at low temperature, a sequence of phase transitions: first between phases of period two, then of period three, then of period four, and finally of period five. In each case the completeness of the phase diagram is proved. This paper supports the conjecture that the phase diagram of the FK model contains periodic phases outside of a Cantor set.     

Finite-temperature collective dynamics of a Fermi gas in the BEC-BCS crossover

We report on experimental studies on the collective behavior of a strongly interacting Fermi gas with tunable interactions and variable temperature. A scissors mode excitation in an elliptical trap is used to characterize the dynamics of the quantum gas in terms of hydrodynamic or near-collisionless behavior. We obtain a crossover phase diagram for collisional properties, showing a large region where a nonsuperfluid strongly interacting gas shows hydrodynamic behavior. In a narrow interaction regime on the BCS side of the crossover, we find a novel temperature-dependent damping peak, suggesting a relation to the superfluid phase transition.     

Prediction of ferromagnetic correlations in coupled double-level quantum dots

Numerical results for transport properties of two coupled double-level quantum dots (QDs) strongly suggest that under appropriate conditions the dots develop a novel ferromagnetic (FM) correlation at quarter filling (one electron per dot). In the strong coupling regime (Coulomb repulsion larger than electron hopping) and with interdot tunneling larger than tunneling to the leads, an S=1 Kondo resonance develops in the density of states, leading to a peak in the conductance. A qualitative "phase diagram," incorporating the new FM phase, is presented. In addition, the necessary conditions for the FM regime are less restrictive than naively believed, leading to its possible experimental observation in real QDs.