Bose-Einstein condensation in exotic lattice geometries

Abstract

Modern quantum engineering techniques allow for synthesizing quantum systems in exotic lattice geometries, from self-similar fractal networks to negatively curved hyperbolic graphs. We demonstrate that these structures profoundly reshape Bose-Einstein condensation. Fractal lattices dramatically lower the condensation temperature and enhance condensation fluctuations. In a Sierpi\'nski carpet, quasi-degeneracies in the tight-binding spectrum fragment the condensate. Hyperbolic lattices, on the other hand, exhibit condensation features similar to regular three-dimensional lattices, despite their embedding in only two dimensions: The critical temperature increases as the system grows, and the temperature-dependence of the condensate fraction follows the same power-law as for cubic lattices. We explain these similarities through the similarity of the densities of state at low energies. When strong repulsive interactions are included, the gas enters a Mott insulating state. Using a multi-site Gutzwiller approach as well as a simple strong-coupling expansion, for the Sierpi\'nski triangle we find a smooth interpolation between the characteristic insulating lobes of one-dimensional and two-dimensional systems. Our findings establish lattice geometry as a powerful tuning knob for quantum phase phenomena and pave the way for experimental exploration in photonic waveguide arrays and Rydberg-atom tweezer arrays.