Characterizing symmetry breaking patterns in a lattice by dual degrees of freedom

A duality transformation in quantum field theory is usually established first through partition functions. It is always important to explore the dual relations between various correlation functions in the transformation. Here, we explore such a dual relation to study quantum phases and phase transitions in an extended boson Hubbard model at 1/3 (2/3) filling on a triangular lattice. We develop systematically a simple and effective way to use the vortex degrees of freedom on dual lattices to characterize both the density wave and valence bond symmetry breaking patterns of the boson insulating states in the direct lattices. In addition to a checkerboard charge density wave (X-CDW) and a stripe CDW, we find a novel CDW-VBS phase which has both local CDW and local valence bond solid (VBS) orders. Implications for Quantum Monte Carlo simulations are addressed. The possible experimental realizations of cold atoms loaded on optical lattices are discussed.     

Quantum phases,supersolids and quantum phase transitions of interacting bosons in frustrated lattices

By using the dual vortex method (DVM), we develop systematically a simple and effective scheme to use the vortex degree of freedoms on dual lattices to characterize the symmetry breaking patterns of the boson insulating states in the direct lattices. Then we apply our scheme to study quantum phases and phase transitions in an extended boson Hubbard model slightly away from 1/3 (2/3) filling on frustrated lattices such as triangular and Kagome lattice. In a triangular lattice at 1/3, we find a X-CDW, a stripe CDW phase which was found previously by a density operator formalism (DOF). Most importantly, we also find a new CDW-VB phase which has both local CDW and local VB orders, in sharp contrast to a bubble CDW phase found previously by the DOF. In the Kagome lattice at 1/3, we find a VBS phase and a 6-fold CDW phase. Most importantly, we also identify a CDW-VB phase which has both local CDW and local VB orders which was found in previous QMC simulations. We also study several other phases which are not found by the DVM. By analyzing carefully the saddle point structures of the dual gauge fields in the translational symmetry breaking sides and pushing the effective actions slightly away from the commensurate filling f=1/3$f=1/3$(2/3)$(2/3)$, we classified all the possible types of supersolids and analyze their stability conditions. In a triangular lattice, there are X-CDW supersolid, stripe CDW supersolid, but absence of any valence bond supersolid (VB-SS). There are also a new kind of supersolid: CDW-VB supersolid. In a Kagome lattice, there are 6-fold CDW supersolid, stripe CDW supersolid, but absence of any valence bond supersolid (VB-SS). There are also a new kind of supersolid: CDW-VB supersolid. We show that independent of the types of the SS, the quantum phase transitions from solids to supersolids driven by a chemical potential are in the same universality class as that from a Mott insulator to a superfluid, therefore have exact exponents z=2$z=2$, ν=1/2$\nu =1/2$, η=0$\eta =0$ (with logarithmic corrections). Excitation spectra of all these insulating phases and supersolid phases are also studied. Implications on QMC simulations with both nearest neighbor and next nearest neighbor interactions in both lattices are given. Some possible intrinsic problems of the DOF in identifying the insulating phases are also pointed out.     

Bragg scattering as a probe of atomic wave functions and quantum phase transitions in optical lattices

We have observed Bragg scattering of photons from quantum degenerate ^{87}Rb atoms in a three-dimensional optical lattice. Bragg scattered light directly probes the microscopic crystal structure and atomic wave function whose position and momentum width is Heisenberg limited. The spatial coherence of the wave function leads to revivals in the Bragg scattered light due to the atomic Talbot effect. The decay of revivals across the superfluid to Mott insulator transition indicates the loss of superfluid coherence.     

Time-reversal symmetry breaking of p-orbital bosons in a one-dimensional optical lattice

We study bosons loaded in a one-dimensional optical lattice of twofold p-orbital degeneracy at each site. Our numerical simulations find an anti-ferro-orbital p(x)+ip(y), a homogeneous p(x) Mott-insulator phase, and two kinds of superfluid phases distinguished by the orbital order (anti-ferro-orbital and paraorbital). The anti-ferro-orbital order breaks time-reversal symmetry. Experimentally observable evidence is predicted for the phase transition between the two different superfluid phases. We also discover that the quantum noise measurement is able to provide a concrete evidence of time-reversal symmetry breaking in the first Mott phase.     

Quantum stripe ordering in optical lattices

We predict the robust existence of a novel quantum orbital stripe order in the p-band Bose-Hubbard model of two-dimensional triangular optical lattices with cold bosonic atoms. An orbital angular momentum moment is formed on each site exhibiting a stripe order both in the superfluid and Mott-insulating phases. The stripe order spontaneously breaks time-reversal, lattice translation, and rotation symmetries. In addition, it induces staggered plaquette bond currents in the superfluid phase. Possible signatures of this stripe order in the time of flight experiment are discussed.     

Dual vortex theory of doped Mott insulators

We present a general framework for describing the quantum phases obtained by doping paramagnetic Mott insulators on the square lattice. The undoped insulators are efficiently characterized by the projective transformations of various fields under the square lattice space group (the PSG). We show that the PSG also imposes powerful constraints on the doped system, and on the effective action for the vortex and Bogoliubov quasiparticle excitations of superconducting states. This action can also be extended across transitions to supersolid or insulating states at non-zero doping. For the case of a valence bond solid (VBS) insulator, we show that the doped system has the same PSG as that of elementary bosons with density equal to the density of electron Cooper pairs. We also discuss aspects of the action for a d-wave superconductor obtained by doping a “staggered-flux” spin liquid state.     

Spin singlet mott states and evidence for spin singlet quantum condensates of spin-one bosons in lattices

We have investigated spin singlet Mott states of spin-one bosons with antiferromagnetic interactions. These spin singlet states do not break rotational symmetry and exhibit remarkably different macroscopic properties compared with nematic Mott states of spin-one bosons. We demonstrate that the dynamics of spin singlet Mott states is fully characterized by even- or odd-class quantum dimer models. The difference between spin singlet Mott states for even and odd numbers of atoms per site can be attributed to a selection rule in the low energy sectors of on-site Hilbert spaces; alternatively, it can also be attributed to an effect of Berry’s phases on bosonic Mott states. We also discuss evidence for spin singlet quantum condensate of spin-one atoms. Our main finding is that in a projected spin singlet Hilbert space, the low energy physics of spin-one bosons is equivalent to that of a Bose-Hubbard model for spinless bosons interacting via Ising gauge fields. The other major finding is spin-charge separation in some one-dimensional Mott states. We propose charge-e spin singlet superfluid for an odd number of atoms per lattice site and charge-2e spin singlet superfluid for an even number of atoms per lattice site in one-dimensional lattices. All discussions in this article are limited to integer numbers of bosons per site.     

Phase diagrams of bosonic AB<Subscript>n</Subscript> chains

The AB_{N ?1} chain is a system that consists of repeating a unit cell withN siteswhere between the A and B sites there is an energy difference ofλ. Weconsidered bosons in these special lattices and took into account the kinetic energy, thelocal two-body interaction, and the inhomogenous local energy in the Hamiltonian. We foundthe charge density wave (CDW) and superfluid and Mott insulator phases, and constructedthe phase diagram for N =2 and 3 atthe thermodynamic limit. The system exhibited insulator phases for densitiesρ =α/N, with α being an integer. Weobtained that superfluid regions separate the insulator phases for densities larger thanone. For any N value, we found that for integer densitiesρ, thesystem exhibits ρ +1 insulator phases, a Mott insulator phase, and ρ CDW phases. Fornon-integer densities larger than one, several CDW phases appear.     

A distributed feedback dye laser based on higher order Bragg scattering

A distributed feedback dye laser based on second order Bragg scattering due to a sinusoidal susceptibility modulation is reported. Rhodamine 6G dye solution in three different solvents; methanol, ethanol and benzyl alcohol is pumped by interference fringes produced by two beams from the second harmonic of Nd:YAG laser. Output power is plotted as a function of the pump power. The spectrum of dye laser shows a new type of modulation.     

d-Wave resonating valence bond states of fermionic atoms in optical lattices

We study controlled generation and measurement of superfluid d-wave resonating valence bond (RVB) states of fermionic atoms in 2D optical lattices. Starting from loading spatial and spin patterns of atoms in optical superlattices as pure quantum states from a Fermi gas, we adiabatically transform this state to an RVB state by a change of the lattice parameters. Results of exact time-dependent numerical studies for ladders systems are presented, suggesting generation of RVB states on a time scale smaller than typical experimental decoherence times.     

Novel quantum phases of dipolar bose gases in optical lattices

We investigate the quantum phases of polarized dipolar bosons loaded into a two-dimensional square and three-dimensional cubic optical lattices. We show that the long-range and anisotropic nature of the dipole-dipole interaction induces a rich variety of quantum phases, including the supersolid and striped supersolid phases in two-dimensional lattices, and the layered supersolid phase in three-dimensional lattices.     

Self-trapping of bosons and fermions in optical lattices

We theoretically investigate the enhanced localization of bosonic atoms by fermionic atoms in three-dimensional optical lattices and find a self-trapping of the bosons for attractive boson-fermion interaction. Because of this mutual interaction, the fermion orbitals are substantially squeezed, which results in a strong deformation of the effective potential for bosons. This effect is enhanced by an increasing bosonic filling factor leading to a large shift of the transition between the superfluid and the Mott-insulator phase. We find a nonlinear dependency of the critical potential depth on the boson-fermion interaction strength. The results, in general, demonstrate the important role of higher Bloch bands for the physics of attractively interacting quantum gas mixtures in optical lattices and are of direct relevance to recent experiments with 87Rb-40K mixtures, where a large shift of the critical point has been found.     

Zoo of quantum phases and excitations of cold bosonic atoms in optical lattices

Quantum phases and phase transitions of weakly to strongly interacting bosonic atoms in deep to shallow optical lattices are described by a single multiorbital mean-field approach in real space. For weakly interacting bosons in one dimension, the critical value of the superfluid to Mott insulator (MI) transition found is in excellent agreement with many-body treatments of the Bose-Hubbard model. For strongly interacting bosons, (i) additional MI phases appear, for which two (or more) atoms residing in each site undergo a Tonks-Girardeau-like transition and localize, and (ii) on-site excitation becomes the excitation lowest in energy. Experimental implications are discussed.     

Quantum phases of dipolar bosons in optical lattices

The ground state of dipolar bosons placed in an optical lattice is analyzed. We show that the modification of experimentally accessible parameters can lead to the realization and control of different quantum phases, including superfluid, supersolid, Mott insulator, checkerboard, and collapse phases.     

Grazing-angle scattering of electromagnetic waves in periodic Bragg arrays

A new powerful approximate approach for the theoretical analysis of Bragg scattering in oblique strip-like periodic arrays with the scattered wave propagating almost parallel to the array boundaries – grazing-angle scattering (GAS) – is introduced and justified. This approach is based on allowance for the diffractional divergence of the scattered wave by means of the parabolic equation of diffraction and Fourier analysis. The divergence is demonstrated to be an intrinsic physical cause of GAS. Detailed theoretical analysis of steady-state GAS is carried out for bulk and guided optical modes. It is demonstrated that the most interesting feature of GAS in arrays of width that is greater than a critical width is a unique combination of two strong simultaneous resonances with respect to frequency and angle of scattering. In such wide arrays, GAS is demonstrated to be not only unusually sensitive to angle of scattering, but also to small variations of array width and grating amplitude. Entire concentration of the resonantly strong scattered wave inside the array is shown to be possible. A relationship between GAS, conventional Bragg scattering, and extremely asymmetrical scattering (i.e. where the scattered wave propagates parallel to the array boundaries) is analysed. Applicability conditions for the used approximations and obtained results are derived and discussed.     

On the valence bond solid in the presence of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction

We examine the stability of the valence bond solid (VBS) phase against the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction in the bipartite lattice. We consider the VBS states in the AKLT model as well as the one in the Sandvik model in the 4×L lattice. We found that the VBS is very stable against the DM interaction qin the AKLT model. There is no quantum phase transition in the AKLT+DM case. However, the VBS spin gap closes in the Sandvik model due to the DM interaction.     

Hard-Core Bosons on a Two-Dimensional Square Optical Superlattice

In this work,we theoretically study hard-core bosons on a two-dimensional square optical superlattice at T = 0.First of all,we present the mean field phase diagram of this model in terms of the chemical potential μ and the alternating potential strength △.Besides a superfluid(SF) phase at △ = 0 and a charge density wave(CDW)phase in the large △ at half filling,we demonstrate that a supersolid(SS) phase emerges in the moderate △.Then,we focus on the μ = 0,e.g.,half filling case,using large-S semi-classical spin-wave approximation to study the SS to CDW quantum phase transition.In particular,we calculate the ground-state energy and the superfluid density at the level of1/S correction.We then compare the spin-wave results with the large scale quantum Monte Carlo(QMC) simulations using the cluster stochastic series expansion(CSSE) algorithm,and find that while the spin wave method is intuitive with clear physical pictures,the quantum critical point is quite different from that of numerical results which is believed to be accurate.We suggest that as simple as it is,this model still exhibits strong quantum fluctuations near the quantum critical point beyond the power of semiclassical spin-wave approach.     

Topological phase separation in 2D hard-core Bose-Hubbard system away from half-filling

We suppose that the doping of the 2D hard-core boson system away from half-filling may result in the formation of a multicenter topological defect such as charge order (CO) bubble domain(s) with Bose superfluid (BS) and extra bosons both localized in domain wall(s), or a topological CO + BS phase separation, rather than a uniform mixed CO + BS supersolid phase. Starting from the classical model, we predict the properties of the respective quantum system. The long-wavelength behavior of the system is believed to resemble that of granular superconductors, CDW materials, Wigner crystals, and multiskyrmion system akin in a quantum Hall ferromagnetic state of a 2D electron gas.     

Oscillating superfluidity of bosons in optical lattices

Following a suggestion by Orzel et al. [Science 291, 2386 (2001)]], we analyze bosons in an optical lattice undergoing a sudden parameter change from the Mott to superfluid phase. We introduce a modified coherent states path integral to describe both phases. The saddle point theory yields collective oscillations of the uniform superfluid order parameter. We calculate its damping rate by phason pair emission. In two dimensions the overdamped region largely overlaps with the quantum critical region. Measurements of critical dynamics on the Mott side are proposed.     

Superfluid to Mott‐insulator transition in an anisotropic two‐dimensional optical lattice

We study the superfluid to Mott‐insulator transition of bosons in an optical anisotropic lattice by employing the Bose‐Hubbard model living on a two‐dimensional lattice with anisotropy parameter κ. The compressible superfluid state and incompressible Mott‐insulator (MI) lobes are efficiently described analytically, using the quantum U(1) rotor approach. The ground state phase diagram showing the evolution of the MI lobes is quantified for arbitrary values of κ, corresponding to various kind of lattices: from square, through rectangular to almost one‐dimensional.