Strong correlation effects with atoms in optical lattices
Eckholt Perotti, M Pilar Muñoz Gracia
Abstract
Our work concerns the effects of strong correlations of ultracold atoms in optical lattices in three different scenarios. First we analyze the influence of dissipative processes on the superfluid-Mott insulator transition in the Bose-Hubbard model, observing a shift of the well-known phase transition. In a second setup atoms are trapped in state-dependent lattices; we show that any asymmetry in the contact interaction produces a form of correlated hopping, which results in a pair superfluid phase, with interesting correlation properties that differentiate it from an ordinary atomic Bose-Einstein condensate. Finally we investigate a two-species Bose-Hubbard model including a conversion term, which can be implemented experimentally through a Feshbach resonance producing long-lived bound states. We are particularly interested in the exotic incompressible, yet superfluid “super-Mott” phase.