Session A45: Focus Session: Exploring Quantum Phases in Cold Atom Systems

8:00 AM–11:00 AM, Monday, March 21, 2011
Room: A310

Sponsoring Unit: DAMOP
Chair: Congjun Wu, University of California, San Diego

Abstract ID: BAPS.2011.MAR.A45.1

Abstract: A45.00001 : Correlated phases of bosons in tilted, frustrated lattices

8:00 AM–8:12 AM

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Authors:

  Susanne Pielawa
    (Physics Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA)

  Takuya Kitagawa
    (Physics Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA)

  Erez Berg
    (Physics Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA)

  Subir Sachdev
    (Physics Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA)

The search for correlated quantum phases of cold atoms in optical lattices has focused mainly on entangling the spin degrees of freedom on different lattice sites. We show that there are also rich possibilities for correlated phases in the density sector, and these are likely to be readily accessible by tilting Mott insulators into metastable states. It has been previously shown that a Mott insulator in a potential gradient undergoes an Ising quantum phase transition when the potential drop per lattice spacing is close to the repulsive interaction energy [1]. Here we theoretically study bosons in tilted, frustrated, two-dimensional lattices. The phases we find include phases with charge density order, a sliding Luttinger liquid phase, and a liquid-like ground state with no broken lattice symmetry. \\[4pt] [1] S. Sachdev, K. Sengupta, and S. M. Girvin, Phys. Rev. B 66, 075128 (2002).

To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2011.MAR.A45.1