Crystalline Splitting of $d$ Orbitals in Regular Optical Lattices

Abstract

In solids, crystal field splitting refers to the lifting of atomic orbital degeneracy by the surrounding ions through the static electric field. Similarly, we show that the degenerated $d$ orbitals, which were derived in the harmonic oscillator approximation, are split into a low-lying $d_{x^2+y^2}$ singlet and a $d_{x^2-y^2/xy}$ doublet by the high-order Taylor polynomials of triangular optical potential. The low-energy effective theory of the orbital Mott insulator at $2/3$ filling is generically described by the Heisenberg-Compass model, where the antiferro-orbital exchange interactions of compass type depend on the bond orientation and are geometrically frustrated in the triangular lattice. While, for the square optical lattice, the degenerated $d$ orbitals are split into a different multiplet structure, i.e. a low-lying $d_{x^2\pm y^2}$ doublet and a $d_{xy}$ singlet, which has its physical origin in the $C_{4v}$ point group symmetry of square optical potential. Our results build a novel bridge between ultracold atom systems and solid-state systems for the investigation of $d$-orbital physics.