arXiv subjects

Klaus Sengstock

Publications and source records attributed to Klaus Sengstock.

66 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2011

Quantum simulation of frustrated magnetism in triangular optical lattices

Magnetism plays a key role in modern technology as essential building block of many devices used in daily life. Rich future prospects connected to spintronics, next generation storage devices or superconductivity make it a highly dynamical field of research. Despite those ongoing efforts, the many-body dynamics of complex magnetism is far from being well understood on a fundamental level. Especially the study of geometrically frustrated configurations is challenging both theoretically and experimentally. Here we present the first realization of a large scale quantum simulator for magnetism including frustration. We use the motional degrees of freedom of atoms to comprehensively simulate a magnetic system in a triangular lattice. Via a specific modulation of the optical lattice, we can tune the couplings in different directions independently, even from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic. A major advantage of our approach is that standard Bose-Einstein-condensate temperatures are sufficient to observe magnetic phenomena like Néel order and spin frustration. We are able to study a very rich phase diagram and even to observe spontaneous symmetry breaking caused by frustration. In addition, the quantum states realized in our spin simulator are yet unobserved superfluid phases with non-trivial long-range order and staggered circulating plaquette currents, which break time reversal symmetry. These findings open the route towards highly debated phases like spin-liquids and the study of the dynamics of quantum phase transitions.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2010

Multi-Component Quantum Gases in Spin-Dependent Hexagonal Lattices

Periodicity is one of the most fundamental structural characteristics of systems occurring in nature. The properties of these systems depend strongly on the symmetry of the underlying periodic structure. In solid state materials - for example - the static and transport properties as well as the magnetic and electronic characteristics are crucially influenced by the crystal symmetry. In this context, hexagonal structures play an extremely important role and lead to novel physics like that of carbon nanotubes or graphene. Here we report on the first realization of ultracold atoms in a spin-dependent optical lattice with hexagonal symmetry. We show how combined effects of the lattice and interactions between atoms lead to a forced antiferromagnetic Néel order when two spin-components localize at different lattice sites. We also demonstrate that the coexistence of two components - one Mott-insulating and the other one superfluid - leads to the formation of a forced supersolid. Our observations are consistent with theoretical predictions using Gutzwiller mean-field theory.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2010

Frustrated quantum antiferromagnetism with ultracold bosons in a triangular lattice

We propose to realize the anisotropic triangular-lattice Bose-Hubbard model with positive tunneling matrix elements by using ultracold atoms in an optical lattice dressed by a fast lattice oscillation. This model exhibits frustrated antiferromagnetism at experimentally feasible temperatures; it interpolates between a classical rotor model for weak interaction, and a quantum spin-1/2 $XY$-model in the limit of hard-core bosons. This allows to explore experimentally gapped spin liquid phases predicted recently [Schmied et al., New J. Phys. {\bf 10}, 045017 (2008)].

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2009

Spontaneous pattern formation in an anti-ferromagnetic quantum gas

Spontaneous pattern formation is a phenomenon ubiquitous in nature, examples ranging from Rayleigh-Benard convection to the emergence of complex organisms from a single cell. In physical systems, pattern formation is generally associated with the spontaneous breaking of translation symmetry and is closely related to other symmetry-breaking phenomena, of which (anti-)ferromagnetism is a prominent example. Indeed, magnetic pattern formation has been studied extensively in both solid-state materials and classical liquids. Here, we report on the spontaneous formation of wave-like magnetic patterns in a spinor Bose-Einstein condensate, extending those studies into the domain of quantum gases. We observe characteristic modes across a broad range of the magnetic field acting as a control parameter. Our measurements link pattern formation in these quantum systems to specific unstable modes obtainable from linear stability analysis. These investigations open new prospects for controlled studies of symmetry breaking and the appearance of structures in the quantum domain.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2008

Self-Trapping of Bosons and Fermions in Optical Lattices

We theoretically investigate the enhanced localization of bosonic atoms by fermionic atoms in three-dimensional optical lattices and find a self-trapping of the bosons for attractive boson-fermion interaction. Because of this mutual interaction, the fermion orbitals are substantially squeezed, which results in a strong deformation of the effective potential for bosons. This effect is enhanced by an increasing bosonic filling factor leading to a large shift of the transition between the superfluid and the Mott-insulator phase. We find a nonlinear dependency of the critical potential depth on the boson-fermion interaction strength. The results, in general, demonstrate the important role of higher Bloch bands for the physics of attractively interacting quantum gas mixtures in optical lattices and are of direct relevance to recent experiments with 87Rb - 40K mixtures, where a large shift of the critical point has been found.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2008

Exact Solution of Strongly Interacting Quasi-One-Dimensional Spinor Bose Gases

We present an exact analytical solution of the fundamental system of quasi-one-dimensional spin-1 bosons with infinite delta-repulsion. The eigenfunctions are constructed from the wave functions of non-interacting spinless fermions, based on Girardeau's Fermi-Bose mapping, and from the wave functions of distinguishable spins. We show that the spinor bosons behave like a compound of non-interacting spinless fermions and non-interacting distinguishable spins. This duality is especially reflected in the spin densities and the energy spectrum. We find that the momentum distribution of the eigenstates depends on the symmetry of the spin function. Furthermore, we discuss the splitting of the ground state multiplet in the regime of large but finite repulsion.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2008

Localization and delocalization of ultracold bosonic atoms in finite optical lattices

We study bosonic atoms in small optical lattices by exact diagonalization and observe a striking similarity to the superfluid to Mott insulator transition in macroscopic systems. The momentum distribution, the formation of an energy gap, and the pair correlation function show only a weak size dependence. For noncommensurate filling we reveal in deep lattices a mixture of localized and delocalized particles, which is sensitive to lattice imperfections. Breaking the lattice symmetry causes a Bose-glass-like behavior. We discuss the nature of excited states and orbital effects by using an exact diagonalization technique that includes higher bands.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2008

Heteronuclear molecules in an optical lattice: Theory and experiment

We study properties of two different atoms at a single optical lattice site at a heteronuclear atomic Feshbach resonance. We calculate the energy spectrum, the efficiency of rf association and the lifetime as a function of magnetic field and compare the results with the experimental data obtained for K-40 and Rb-87 [C. Ospelkaus et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 120402 (2006)]. We treat the interaction in terms of a regularized delta function pseudopotential and consider the general case of particles with different trap frequencies, where the usual approach of separating center-of-mass and relative motion fails. We develop an exact diagonalization approach to the coupling between center-of-mass and relative motion and numerically determine the spectrum of the system. At the same time, our approach allows us to treat the anharmonicity of the lattice potential exactly. Within the pseudopotential model, the center of the Feshbach resonance can be precisely determined from the experimental data.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2007

Evolution from a Bose-Einstein condensate to a Tonks-Girardeau gas: An exact diagonalization study

We study ground state properties of spinless, quasi one-dimensional bosons which are confined in a harmonic trap and interact via repulsive delta-potentials. We use the exact diagonalization method to analyze the pair correlation function, as well as the density, the momentum distribution, different contributions to the energy and the population of single-particle orbitals in the whole interaction regime. In particular, we are able to trace the fascinating transition from bosonic to fermi-like behavior in characteristic features of the momentum distribution which is accessible to experiments. Our calculations yield quantitative measures for the interaction strength limiting the mean-field regime on one side and the Tonks-Girardeau regime on the other side of an intermediate regime.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2006

Dynamics of F=1 87Rb condensates at finite temperatures

We investigate the dynamics of a F=1 spinor Bose-Einstein condensate of 87Rb atoms confined in a quasi-one-dimensional trap both at zero and at finite temperature. At zero temperature, we observe coherent oscillations between populations of the various spin components and the formation of multiple domains in the condensate. We study also finite temperature effects in the spin dynamics taking into account the phase fluctuations in the Bogoliubov-de Gennes framework. At finite T, despite complex multidomain formation in the condensate, population equipartition occurs. The length scale of these spin domains seems to be determined intrinsically by nonlinear interactions.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2004

Spin waves in a Bose Ferromagnet

It is shown that the ferromagnetic transition takes place always above Bose-Einstein condensation in ferromagnetically coupled spinor Bose gases. We describe the Bose ferromagnet within Ginzburg-Landau theory by a "two-fluid" model below Bose-Einstein condensation. Both the Bose condensate and the normal phase are spontaneously magnetized. As a main result we show that spin waves in the two fluids are coupled together so as to produce only one mixed spin-wave mode in the coexisting state. The long wavelength spectrum is quadratic in the wave vector ${\bf k}$, consistent with usual ferromagnetism theory, and the spin-wave stiffness coefficient $c_s$ includes contributions from both the two phases, implying the "two-fluid" feature of the system. $c_s$ can show a sharp bend at the Bose-Einstein condensation temperature.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv1999

Theory of atomic diffraction from evanescent waves

We review recent theoretical models and experiments dealing with the diffraction of neutral atoms from a reflection grating, formed by a standing evanescent wave. We analyze diffraction mechanisms proposed for normal and grazing incidence, point out their scopes and confront the theory with experiment.

quant-ph↗