Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1605.01005 · Physical Review A

Quantum melting of two-component Rydberg crystals

Zhihao Lan, Weibin Li, Igor Lesanovsky

Published Nov 11, 2016• 11 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We investigate the quantum melting of one-dimensional crystals that are realized in an atomic lattice in which ground state atoms are laser excited to two Rydberg states. We focus on a regime where both, intra- and interstate density-density interactions as well as coherent exchange interactions contribute. We determine stable crystalline phases in the classical limit and explore their melting under quantum fluctuations introduced by the excitation laser as well as two-body exchange. We find that within a specific parameter range quantum fluctuations introduced by the laser can give rise to a devil's staircase structure which one might associate with transitions in the classical limit. The melting through exchange interactions is shown to also proceed in a steplike fashion, in the case of small crystals, due to the proliferation of Rydberg spin waves.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.94.051603

Related papers

Dislocation-mediated melting of one-dimensional Rydberg crystals

Eran Sela, Matthias Punk, Markus Garst

We consider cold Rydberg atoms in a one-dimensional optical lattice in the Mott regime with a single atom per site at zero temperature. An external laser drive with Rabi frequency $\ensuremath{\Omega}$ and laser detuning $\ensuremath{\Delta}$ creates Rydberg excitations whose dynamics is governed by an effective spin-chain model with (quasi) long-range interactions. This system possesses intrinsically a large degree of frustration resulting in a ground-state phase diagram in the $(\ensuremath{\Delta},\ensuremath{\Omega})$ plane with a rich topology. As a function of $\ensuremath{\Delta}$, the Rydberg blockade effect gives rise to a series of crystalline phases commensurate with the optical lattice that form a so-called devil's staircase. The Rabi frequency $\ensuremath{\Omega}$, on the other hand, creates quantum fluctuations that eventually lead to a quantum melting of the crystalline states. Upon increasing $\ensuremath{\Omega}$, we find that generically a commensurate-incommensurate transition to a floating Rydberg crystal that supports gapless phonon excitations occurs first. For even larger $\ensuremath{\Omega}$, dislocations within the floating Rydberg crystal start to proliferate and a second, Kosterlitz-Thouless-Nelson-Halperin-Young dislocation-mediated melting transition finally destroys the crystalline arrangement of Rydberg excitations. This latter melting transition is generic for one-dimensional Rydberg crystals and persists even in the absence of an optical lattice. The floating phase and the concomitant transitions can, in principle, be detected by Bragg scattering of light.

arXiv:1104.2603•Physical Review B•Aug 29, 2011•61 citations

Two-Stage Melting in Systems of Strongly Interacting Rydberg Atoms

Hendrik Weimer, Hans Peter Büchler

We analyze the ground state properties of a one-dimensional cold atomic system in a lattice, where Rydberg excitations are created by an external laser drive. In the classical limit, the ground state is characterized by a complete devil's staircase for the commensurate solid structures of Rydberg excitations. Using perturbation theory and a mapping onto an effective low-energy Hamiltonian, we find a transition of these commensurate solids into a floating solid with algebraic correlations. For stronger quantum fluctuations the floating solid eventually melts within a second quantum phase transition and the ground state becomes paramagnetic.

arXiv:1007.2189•Physical Review Letters•Nov 30, 2010•108 citations

Transport induced melting of crystals of Rydberg dressed atoms in a one dimensional lattice

Achim Lauer, Dominik Muth, Michael Fleischhauer

Abstract. We discuss the many-body physics of an ensemble of Rydberg dressed atoms with van der Waals dipole-dipole interactions in a one-dimensional lattice. Using a strong coupling expansion and numerical density-matrix renormalisation group simulations, we calculate the many-body phase diagram. A devil’s staircase structure emerges with Mott-insulating phases at any rational filling fraction. Closed analytic expressions are given for the phase boundaries in second order of the tunnelling amplitude and shown to agree very well with the numerical results. The transition point where the incompressible phases melt due to the kinetic energy term depends strongly on the denominator of the filling fraction and varies over many orders of magnitude between different phases.

•Aug 15, 2016•16 citations

Transport-induced melting of crystals of Rydberg dressed atoms in a one-dimensional lattice

Achim Lauer, Dominik Muth, Michael Fleischhauer

We discuss the many-body physics of an ensemble of Rydberg dressed atoms with van der Waals dipole–dipole interactions in a one-dimensional lattice. Using a strong coupling expansion and numerical density-matrix renormalization group simulations, we calculate the many-body phase diagram. A devil's staircase structure emerges with Mott-insulating phases at any rational filling fraction. Closed analytic expressions are given for the phase boundaries in second order of the tunneling amplitude and are shown to agree very well with the numerical results. The transition point where the incompressible phases melt due to the kinetic energy term depends strongly on the denominator of the filling fraction and varies over many orders of magnitude between different phases.

arXiv:1204.0413•New Journal of Physics•Sep 13, 2012•27 citations

Adiabatic formation of Rydberg crystals with chirped laser pulses

Rick van Bijnen, Sjoerd Smit, K. A. H. van Leeuwen +2 more

Ultracold atomic gases have been used extensively in recent years to realize textbook examples of condensed matter phenomena. Recently, phase transitions to ordered structures have been predicted for gases of highly excited, 'frozen' Rydberg atoms. Such Rydberg crystals are a model for dilute metallic solids with tunable lattice parameters, and provide access to a wide variety of fundamental phenomena. We investigate theoretically how such structures can be created in four distinct cold atomic systems, by using tailored laser-excitation in the presence of strong Rydberg-Rydberg interactions. We study in detail the experimental requirements and limitations for these systems, and characterize the basic properties of small crystalline Rydberg structures in one, two and three dimensions.

arXiv:1103.2096•Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics•Sep 14, 2011•65 citations

Crystallization in Ising quantum magnets

Peter Schauß, Johannes Zeiher, Takeshi Fukuhara +6 more

Dominating finite-range interactions in many-body systems can lead to intriguing self-ordered phases of matter. For quantum magnets, Ising models with power-law interactions are among the most elementary systems that support such phases. These models can be implemented by laser coupling ensembles of ultracold atoms to Rydberg states. Here, we report on the experimental preparation of crystalline ground states of such spin systems. We observe a magnetization staircase as a function of the system size and show directly the emergence of crystalline states with vanishing susceptibility. Our results demonstrate the precise control of Rydberg many-body systems and may enable future studies of phase transitions and quantum correlations in interacting quantum magnets.

arXiv:1404.0980•Science•Mar 27, 2015•293 citations
We investigate the quantum melting of one-dimensional crystals that are realized in an atomic lattice in which ground state atoms are laser excited to two Rydberg states. We focus on a regime where both, intra- and interstate density-density interactions as well as coherent exchange interactions contribute. We determine stable crystalline phases in the classical limit and explore their melting under quantum fluctuations introduced by the excitation laser as well as two-body exchange. We find that within a specific parameter range quantum fluctuations introduced by the laser can give rise to a devil's staircase structure which one might associate with transitions in the classical limit. The melting through exchange interactions is shown to also proceed in a steplike fashion, in the case of small crystals, due to the proliferation of Rydberg spin waves.
We consider cold Rydberg atoms in a one-dimensional optical lattice in the Mott regime with a single atom per site at zero temperature. An external laser drive with Rabi frequency $\ensuremath{\Omega}$ and laser detuning $\ensuremath{\Delta}$ creates Rydberg excitations whose dynamics is governed by an effective spin-chain model with (quasi) long-range interactions. This system possesses intrinsically a large degree of frustration resulting in a ground-state phase diagram in the $(\ensuremath{\Delta},\ensuremath{\Omega})$ plane with a rich topology. As a function of $\ensuremath{\Delta}$, the Rydberg blockade effect gives rise to a series of crystalline phases commensurate with the optical lattice that form a so-called devil's staircase. The Rabi frequency $\ensuremath{\Omega}$, on the other hand, creates quantum fluctuations that eventually lead to a quantum melting of the crystalline states. Upon increasing $\ensuremath{\Omega}$, we find that generically a commensurate-incommensurate transition to a floating Rydberg crystal that supports gapless phonon excitations occurs first. For even larger $\ensuremath{\Omega}$, dislocations within the floating Rydberg crystal start to proliferate and a second, Kosterlitz-Thouless-Nelson-Halperin-Young dislocation-mediated melting transition finally destroys the crystalline arrangement of Rydberg excitations. This latter melting transition is generic for one-dimensional Rydberg crystals and persists even in the absence of an optical lattice. The floating phase and the concomitant transitions can, in principle, be detected by Bragg scattering of light.
We analyze the ground state properties of a one-dimensional cold atomic system in a lattice, where Rydberg excitations are created by an external laser drive. In the classical limit, the ground state is characterized by a complete devil's staircase for the commensurate solid structures of Rydberg excitations. Using perturbation theory and a mapping onto an effective low-energy Hamiltonian, we find a transition of these commensurate solids into a floating solid with algebraic correlations. For stronger quantum fluctuations the floating solid eventually melts within a second quantum phase transition and the ground state becomes paramagnetic.
Abstract. We discuss the many-body physics of an ensemble of Rydberg dressed atoms with van der Waals dipole-dipole interactions in a one-dimensional lattice. Using a strong coupling expansion and numerical density-matrix renormalisation group simulations, we calculate the many-body phase diagram. A devil’s staircase structure emerges with Mott-insulating phases at any rational filling fraction. Closed analytic expressions are given for the phase boundaries in second order of the tunnelling amplitude and shown to agree very well with the numerical results. The transition point where the incompressible phases melt due to the kinetic energy term depends strongly on the denominator of the filling fraction and varies over many orders of magnitude between different phases.
We discuss the many-body physics of an ensemble of Rydberg dressed atoms with van der Waals dipole–dipole interactions in a one-dimensional lattice. Using a strong coupling expansion and numerical density-matrix renormalization group simulations, we calculate the many-body phase diagram. A devil's staircase structure emerges with Mott-insulating phases at any rational filling fraction. Closed analytic expressions are given for the phase boundaries in second order of the tunneling amplitude and are shown to agree very well with the numerical results. The transition point where the incompressible phases melt due to the kinetic energy term depends strongly on the denominator of the filling fraction and varies over many orders of magnitude between different phases.
Ultracold atomic gases have been used extensively in recent years to realize textbook examples of condensed matter phenomena. Recently, phase transitions to ordered structures have been predicted for gases of highly excited, 'frozen' Rydberg atoms. Such Rydberg crystals are a model for dilute metallic solids with tunable lattice parameters, and provide access to a wide variety of fundamental phenomena. We investigate theoretically how such structures can be created in four distinct cold atomic systems, by using tailored laser-excitation in the presence of strong Rydberg-Rydberg interactions. We study in detail the experimental requirements and limitations for these systems, and characterize the basic properties of small crystalline Rydberg structures in one, two and three dimensions.
Dominating finite-range interactions in many-body systems can lead to intriguing self-ordered phases of matter. For quantum magnets, Ising models with power-law interactions are among the most elementary systems that support such phases. These models can be implemented by laser coupling ensembles of ultracold atoms to Rydberg states. Here, we report on the experimental preparation of crystalline ground states of such spin systems. We observe a magnetization staircase as a function of the system size and show directly the emergence of crystalline states with vanishing susceptibility. Our results demonstrate the precise control of Rydberg many-body systems and may enable future studies of phase transitions and quantum correlations in interacting quantum magnets.