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arXiv:1409.0284 · Physical Review Letters

Feshbach-Stabilized Insulator of Bosons in Optical Lattices

Laurent de Forges de Parny, V. G. Rousseau, Tommaso Roscilde

Published May 11, 2015• 12 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Feshbach resonances-namely, resonances between an unbound two-body (atomic) state and a bound (molecular) state, differing in magnetic moment-are a unique tool to tune the interaction properties of ultracold atoms. Here we show that the spin-changing interactions, coherently coupling the atomic and molecular states, can act as a novel mechanism to stabilize an insulating phase-the Feshbach insulator-for bosons in an optical lattice close to a narrow Feshbach resonance. Making use of quantum Monte Carlo simulations and mean-field theory, we show that the Feshbach insulator appears around the resonance, preventing the system from collapsing when the effective atomic scattering length becomes negative. On the atomic side of the resonance, the transition from condensate to Feshbach insulator has a characteristic first-order nature, due to the simultaneous loss of coherence in the atomic and molecular components. These features appear clearly in the ground-state phase diagram of, e.g., ^{87}Rb around its 414 G resonance, and they are therefore directly amenable to experimental observation.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.114.195302

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Narrow Feshbach Bound State of an Ultracold Atom Pair with an Extrapolation to a Many Body Phase - eScholarship

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•Jan 1, 2013•0 citations
Feshbach resonances-namely, resonances between an unbound two-body (atomic) state and a bound (molecular) state, differing in magnetic moment-are a unique tool to tune the interaction properties of ultracold atoms. Here we show that the spin-changing interactions, coherently coupling the atomic and molecular states, can act as a novel mechanism to stabilize an insulating phase-the Feshbach insulator-for bosons in an optical lattice close to a narrow Feshbach resonance. Making use of quantum Monte Carlo simulations and mean-field theory, we show that the Feshbach insulator appears around the resonance, preventing the system from collapsing when the effective atomic scattering length becomes negative. On the atomic side of the resonance, the transition from condensate to Feshbach insulator has a characteristic first-order nature, due to the simultaneous loss of coherence in the atomic and molecular components. These features appear clearly in the ground-state phase diagram of, e.g., ^{87}Rb around its 414 G resonance, and they are therefore directly amenable to experimental observation.
We study the phase diagram of ultracold bosons in an optical lattice near a Feshbach resonance. Depending on the boson density, the strength of the optical-lattice potential and the detuning from resonance, the ground state can be a Mott insulator, a superfluid phase with both an atomic and a molecular condensate, or a superfluid phase with only a molecular condensate. Mott insulator to superfluid transitions can be induced either by decreasing the strength of the optical-lattice potential or by varying the detuning from the Feshbach resonance. Quite generally, we find that for a commensurate density the ground state may undergo several insulator-superfluid or superfluid-insulator transitions as the magnetic field is varied through the resonance.
An important new development in the field of ultracold atomic gases is the study of the properties of these gases in a so-called optical lattice. An optical lattice is a periodic trapping potential for the atoms that is formed by the interference pattern of a few laser beams. A reason for the interest in these systems is that the effects of the interatomic interactions can be strongly enhanced. More specifically, it has been shown in a beautiful experiment by Greiner et al. in 2002 that by loading a Bose-Einstein condensate into an optical lattice it is possible for the system to undergo a quantum phase transition to a new quantum phase of matter, the so-called Mott insulator phase. Within this Mott insulator phase each lattice site is occupied by exactly one atom. This makes the Mott insulator phase especially well suited for applications in the field of quantum computation and quantum information processing. We have theoretically investigated the above mentioned quantum phase transition and our formalism allows for a description of the Mott insulator phase at nonzero temperatures. Another important experimental development in the field of ultracold atomic gases is the use of Feshbach resonances to control the interatomic interactions. Such a resonance occurs whenever two colliding atoms form a long-lived molecule for some time. The crucial point of a Feshbach resonance is that the above mentioned molecule has a magnetic moment that is not equal to twice the magnetic moment of the atom. As a consequence the energy difference between the two atoms and the molecule and hence the interactions between the atoms can be controlled by using an external magnetic field. By combining these two techniques, i.e, by trapping ultracold atomic gases in an optical lattice and by tuning a magnetic field near a Feshbach resonance there can be a new quantum phase transition between two superfluid phases. We gave derived the the theory for the description of these Feshbach resonances in optical lattices and applied it to various systems. To be a bit more precise, if we tune the external magnetic field such that the energy difference between a molecule and two atoms is sufficiently negative, then the gas consists of a Bose-Einstein condensate of molecules. In contrast, if the energy difference is large enough and positive we have a gas that consists primarily of a Bose-Einstein condensate of atoms. It turns out that these two limits are separated by an Ising-like quantum phase transition. By using atomic Bose gases near a Feshbach resonance detailed experimental studies which test the theoretical predictions of the statistical and dynamical properties of these quantum phase transitions can be made.
The quantum phase transition from the Mott insulator to the superfluid phases of the bosonic atoms trapped in an optical lattice, in which the on-site interaction can be tuned by a Feshbach resonance, is investigated by a variational approach within mean-field theory. We derive an extended Bose-Hubbard model to describe this ultracold atomic system. By theoretical calculation and analysis, the phase diagram is shown clearly, and we find an exciting and novel phenomenon that is the appearance of the Mott insulator-sea (MI-sea). Meanwhile, the experimental feasibility of observing the MI-sea is discussed by analyzing the published data related to the Fashbach resonance at present. Finally, the potential application of the MI-sea for quantum information processing and quantum computation is also discussed in detail.
Mott insulating ultracold gases possess a unique whole-atom exchange interaction which enables large quantum fluctuations between the Zeeman sublevels of each atom. By strengthening this interaction---either through the use of large-spin atoms or by tuning the particle-particle interactions via optical Feshbach resonance---one may enhance fluctuations and facilitate the appearance of the long-sought-after quantum spin liquid phase---all in the highly tunable environment of cold atoms. To illustrate the relationship between the spin magnitude, interaction strength, and resulting magnetic phases, we present and solve a mean-field theory for bosons optically confined to the one-particle-per-site Mott state, using both analytic and numerical methods. We find on square and triangular lattices for bosons of hyperfine spin f>2f>2f>2 that making the repulsive sss-wave scattering length through the singlet channel small---relative to the higher-order scattering channels---accesses a short-range resonating valence bond (s-RVB) spin liquid phase.
Trapped cold atoms at very low temperatures, now readily accessible experimentally, can be controlled and serve as a testing ground for many theoretical physical properties which are paralleled in condensed matter systems. Ultracold trapped atom experiments show promise to recreate analogous condensed matter systems in a controlled environment and to create novel many-body quantum states of matter. The tunability of trapping laser intensities and magnetically controlled Feshbach interactions are the main tools for varying lattice hopping strengths and inter-particle interactions. In this thesis, we search for the phase of a many-body system of cold fermion atoms that can convert to boson molecules and vice versa. We then look at the microscopic details of two atoms that interact to form a quasibound molecule. Our two-atom model explains the mechanism behind the magnetically tunable interparticle interaction known as the Feshbach resonance. We find a dependence of the bound pair formation on the two-particle energy. Our results show that if a magnetic field can be fine tuned to sufficient precision, of order 10 mG, a narrow resonance can be achieved where longer lived bound states can be created. This narrow resonance reconciliates the two-body physics with the effective Hamiltonian that describes the many-body system.
Trapped cold atoms at very low temperatures, now readily accessible experimentally, can be controlled and serve as a testing ground for many theoretical physical properties which are paralleled in condensed matter systems. Ultracold trapped atom experiments show promise to recreate analogous condensed matter systems in a controlled environment and to create novel many-body quantum states of matter. The tunability of trapping laser intensities and magnetically controlled Feshbach interactions are the main tools for varying lattice hopping strengths and inter-particle interactions. In this thesis, we search for the phase of a many-body system of cold fermion atoms that can convert to boson molecules and vice versa. We then look at the microscopic details of two atoms that interact to form a quasibound molecule. Our two-atom model explains the mechanism behind the magnetically tunable interparticle interaction known as the Feshbach resonance. We find a dependence of the bound pair formation on the two-particle energy. Our results show that if a magnetic field can be fine tuned to sufficient precision, of order 10 mG, a narrow resonance can be achieved where longer lived bound states can be created. This narrow resonance reconciliates the two-body physics with the effective Hamiltonian that describes the many-body system.