We analyze the thermodynamics of the atomic and (nematic) pair superfluids appearing in the attractive two-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model with a three-body hard-core constraint that has been derived as an effective model for cold atoms subject to strong three-body losses in optical lattices. We show that the thermal disintegration of the pair superfluidity is governed by the proliferation of fractional half vortices leading to a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition with an unusual jump in the helicity modulus. In addition to the (conventional) Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition out of the atomic superfluid, we furthermore identify a direct thermal phase transition separating the pair and the atomic superfluid phases and show that this transition is continuous with critical scaling exponents consistent with those of the two-dimensional Ising universality class. We exhibit a direct connection between the partial loss of quasi-long-range order at the Ising transition between the two superfluids and the parity selection in the atomic winding number fluctuations that distinguish the atomic from the pair superfluid.
We analyze the thermodynamics of the atomic and (nematic) pair superfluids appearing in the attractive two-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model with a three-body hard-core constraint that has been derived as an effective model for cold atoms subject to strong three-body losses in optical lattices. We show that the thermal disintegration of the pair superfluidity is governed by the proliferation of fractional half vortices leading to a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition with an unusual jump in the helicity modulus. In addition to the (conventional) Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition out of the atomic superfluid, we furthermore identify a direct thermal phase transition separating the pair and the atomic superfluid phases and show that this transition is continuous with critical scaling exponents consistent with those of the two-dimensional Ising universality class. We exhibit a direct connection between the partial loss of quasi-long-range order at the Ising transition between the two superfluids and the parity selection in the atomic winding number fluctuations that distinguish the atomic from the pair superfluid.
By means of quantum Monte Carlo simulations implemented with a two-loop update scheme, the finite-temperature phase diagram of a three-body constrained attractive Bose lattice gas is investigated. The nature of the thermal phase transitions around the dimer superfluid and the atomic superfluid is unveiled. We find that the Z2 symmetry breaking transitions between these two superfluid phases are of first order even at nonzero temperatures. More interestingly, the thermal transition from the dimer superfluid to the normal fluid is found to be consistent with the Kosterlitz-Thouless type but giving an anomalous universal stiffness jump. It demonstrates that this transition is driven by unbinding of pairs of fractional vortices.
We examine the equilibrium properties of lattice bosons with attractive on-site interactions in the presence of a three-body hard-core constraint that stabilizes the system against collapse and gives rise to a dimer superfluid phase. Employing quantum Monte Carlo simulations, the ground state phase diagram of this system on the square lattice is analyzed. In particular, we study the quantum phase transition between the atomic and dimer superfluid regime and analyze the nature of the superfluid-insulator transitions. Evidence is provided for the existence of a tricritical point along the saturation transition line, where the transition changes from being first order to a continuous transition of the dilute Bose gas of holes. The Berzinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition from the dimer superfluid to the normal fluid is found to be consistent with an anomalous stiffness jump, as expected from the unbinding of half-vortices.
We study the ground state and the thermal phase diagram of a two-species Bose-Hubbard model, with $\text{U}(1)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}$ symmetry, describing atoms and molecules on a two-dimensional optical lattice interacting via a Feshbach resonance. Using quantum Monte Carlo simulations and mean-field theory, we show that the conversion between the two species, coherently coupling the atomic and molecular states, has a crucial impact on the Mott-superfluid transition and stabilizes an insulating phase with a gap controlled by the conversion term---the Feshbach insulator---instead of a standard Mott-insulating phase. Depending on the detuning between atoms and molecules, this model exhibits three phases: the Feshbach insulator, a molecular condensate coexisting with noncondensed atoms, and a mixed atomic-molecular condensate. Employing finite-size scaling analysis, we observe three-dimensional (3D) XY (3D Ising) transition when U(1) (Z2) symmetry is broken, whereas the transition is first order when both U(1) and Z2 symmetries are spontaneously broken. The finite-temperature phase diagram is also discussed. The thermal disappearance of the molecular superfluid leads to a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition with unusual universal jump in the superfluid density. The loss of the quasi-long-range coherence of the mixed atomic and molecular superfluid is more subtle since only atoms exhibit conventional Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless criticality. We also observe a signal compatible with a classical first-order transition between the mixed superfluid and the normal Bose liquid at low temperature.
Spinor Bose gases may exhibit both phase and ferromagnetic order. Consequently, they may support superflow of both mass and spin currents. In this thesis we utilize a stochastic Gross-Pitaevskii model to investigate the superfluid properties of a two-dimensional spin-1 Bose gas with ferromagnetic interactions. Owing to the low dimensionality, the superfluidity of this system can not be attributed to the presence of a Bose-Einstein condensate, with thermal fluctuations precluding long-range order. Rather, mass and spin superfluidity emerge via respective Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transitions. Such transitions are characterized by the emergence of quasi-long-range order, driven by the binding of topological defect pairs. First, we consider an easy-plane ferromagnetic gas. We find the system superfluidity may be understood by direct application of existing BKT theory. In particular, mass and spin superfluidity are respectively associated with quasi-long-range order in the global phase and local magnetization. The former arises from the binding of mass vortex pairs, while the latter arises from the binding of polar-core spin vortex pairs. Following this, we introduce axial magnetization, and consider a gas in the broken-axisymmetric phase. We find axial magnetization acts to couple mass and spin superflows via a mechanism analogous to the superfluid drag exhibited by two-component superfluids. This coupling renders invalid the direct applicability of existing BKT theory: here mass and spin superfluidity may each be associated with both phase and magnetic order. We remedy this with a generalization making concrete the relation between superfluidity and quasi-long-range order in this system. In addition, through variations of the quadratic Zeeman energy and axial magnetization we identify three distinct superfluid phases, which serve as finite-temperature generalizations of the polar, broken-axisymmetric, and easy-axis ferromagnetic ground states.
This doctoral thesis studies low dimensional quantum systems that can be realized in recent cold atom experiments. From the viewpoint of quantum statistical mechanics, the main emphasis is on the detailed study of the different quantum and thermal phases and their transitions using numerical methods, such as quantum Monte Carlo and the Tensor Network Renormalization Group. The first part of this work deals with a lattice Boson model subject to strong three-body losses. In a quantum-Zeno like manner, a dynamical three-body constraint arises that restricts the evolution of the quantum system to the subspace with at most two particles per site i.e., three-body losses will be suppressed. Its low-energy description by a Feshbach model leads to the appearance of a pair condensate phase with intriguing quantum critical properties controlled by the Coleman-Weinberg mechanism. A comprehensive numerical study, presented in Chapter 3, identifies the pair phase and provides evidence for an unconventional Berezinksii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition due to the unbinding of half-vortices. The study of the pair phase with worm-like algorithms turns out to be challenging and an extension of the directed loop algorithm is presented that overcomes the sampling limitations posed by the appearance of fat-tail distributions. In the following chapters, attention is drawn to lattice systems of polar molecules in optical lattices. Their intriguing dipolar interaction and sensitivity towards external fields make them ideal candidates to realize new states of matter. Particularly, it has been shown that one can drive these systems into a regime where the interaction is dominated by competing two- and three-body potentials. First, the triangular lattice supersolid is considered in Chapter 4. An extensive numerical study combined with a detailed symmetry analysis answers the question of the nature of the supersolid quantum nucleation transition. Following this discussion, Chapter 5 investigates whether the characteristic features of this model persist in the presence of interactions for a realistic system with polar molecules. The three-body interaction regime in a honeycomb Bose-Hubbard model turns out to give rise to a set of highly complex phases in terms of valence bond solids and leads to frustration. Chapter 6 studies the phase diagram and shows how the competition between two- and three-body interactions exhibiting a cascade of phases in the regime of intermediate couplings. In addition, it is demonstrated how the Tensor Network Renormalization Group can be applied to systems with multibody interactions and generic algorithmic limitations are described. Finally, preliminary results concerning the effect of quantum disorder on the triangular supersolid and recent calculations for the entropy of one-dimensional trapped SU(N) Hubbard models are discussed in Chapter 7.
Abstract The physics of two-dimensional (2D) quantum gases can be revealed in strongly confining optical lattices. Upon cooling, 2D bosonic quantum gases as well as Fermi gases where pairing is present, become superfluid. The superfluid-to-normal transition is no longer governed by the presence or absence of a condensate, but by the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless (BKT) mechanism: above a critical temperature, vortices and antivortices proliferate and destroy phase coherence. We investigate the BKT transition for superfluid 2D Fermi gases in the whole range of the BCS–BEC crossover, from weakly bound Cooper pairing (the BCS state), up to strongly bound molecules (the BEC state). Using a path-integral description, we then focus on the case of imbalanced gases: when the number of ‘spin-up’ and ‘spin-down’ fermions that form the pair is no longer equal. When an excess of one spin species exists, pairing is frustrated and the vortex energetics is strongly affected, influencing the KT mechanism. In the present work we are concentrated on the effect of both phase and amplitude fluctuations on phase diagrams of the fermion system. The amplitude fluctuations only slightly influence the BKT phase transition temperature. However, they lead to a substantial modification of the complete phase diagram for the Fermi gas in 2D with respect to that obtained taking into account only phase fluctuations.