Bosonic Quantum Gases Research Articles

Many-Body Quantum Systems

This workshop brought together experts on the analysis of quantum many-body problems and quantum statistical mechanics, with the goal of discussing the state-of-the-art of the field, recent developments as well as challenges for the future. The main topics of discussion concerned the equilibrium and dynamical behavior of (bosonic or fermionic) quantum gases, quantum spin systems, as well as quantum field theory models like the Nelson or Fröhlich model.

Emergence of damped-localized excitations of the Mott state due to disorder

A key aspect of ultracold bosonic quantum gases in deep optical lattice potential wells is the realization of the strongly interacting Mott insulating phase. Many characteristics of this phase are well understood, however little is known about the effects of a random external potential on its gapped quasiparticle and quasihole low-energy excitations. In the present study we investigate the effect of disorder upon the excitations of the Mott insulating state at zero temperature described by the Bose–Hubbard model. Using a field-theoretical approach we obtain a resummed expression for the disorder ensemble average of the spectral function. Its analysis shows that disorder leads to an increase of the effective mass of both quasiparticle and quasihole excitations. Furthermore, it yields the emergence of damped states, which exponentially decay during propagation in space and dominate the whole band when disorder becomes comparable to interactions. We argue that such damped-localized states correspond to single-particle excitations of the Bose-glass phase.

Resurgent revivals in bosonic quantum gases: A striking signature of many-body quantum interferences

Matter wave revivals depend on a delicate interplay of constructive many-body quantum interferences in the developing dynamics of an ultracold bosonic system in an optical lattice. It is shown that the interplay between weak intersite tunneling and strong onsite interactions can lead to the quantum dynamics of a density wave displaying several features not found in the mean-field limit: occupancy oscillations, resurgent revivals, and a (anti-) synchronization of revival peaks and occupancy oscillation peaks. This implies cooperative interference effects that alternate between constructive and destructive features leading to the peak revival behaviors. These many-body quantum interference phenomena create striking features in various observables, which are accessible in experimental measurements.

Experimental observation of a dissipative phase transition in a multi-mode many-body quantum system

Dissipative phase transitions are a characteristic feature of open systems. One of the paradigmatic examples for a first order dissipative phase transition is the driven nonlinear single-mode optical resonator. In this work, we study a realization with an ultracold bosonic quantum gas, which generalizes the single-mode system to many modes and stronger interactions. We measure the effective Liouvillian gap of the system and find evidence for a first order dissipative phase transition. Due to the multi-mode nature of the system, the microscopic dynamics is much richer and allows us to identify a non-equilibrium condensation process.

Quantum engineering of a synthetic thermal bath for bosonic atoms in a one-dimensional optical lattice via Markovian feedback control

We propose and investigate a scheme for engineering a synthetic thermal bath for a bosonic quantum gas in a one-dimensional optical lattice based on Markovian feedback control. The performance of our scheme is quantified by the fidelity between the steady state of the system and the effective thermal state. For double-well and triple-well systems with non-interacting particles, the steady state is found to be an exact thermal state, which is attributed to the fact that the transfer rates between all pairs of coupled eigenstates satisfy detailed balance condition. The scenario changes when there are more lattice sites, where the detailed balance condition does not hold any more, but remains an accurate approximation. Remarkably, our scheme performs very well at low and high temperature regimes, with the fidelity close to one. The performance at intermediate temperatures~(where a crossover into a Bose condensed regime occurs) is slightly worse, and the fidelity shows a gentle decrease with increasing system size. We also discuss the interacting cases. In contrast to the non-interacting cases, the scheme is found to perform better at a higher temperature. Another difference is that the minimal temperature that can be engineered is nonzero and increases with the interaction strength.

Quantum phases of dipolar bosons in one-dimensional optical lattices

We theoretically analyze the phase diagram of a quantum gas of bosons that interact via repulsive dipolar interactions. The bosons are tightly confined by an optical lattice in a quasi-one-dimensional geometry. In the single-band approximation, their dynamics is described by an extended Bose-Hubbard model where the relevant contributions of the dipolar interactions consist of density-density repulsion and correlated tunneling terms. We evaluate the phase diagram for unit density using numerical techniques based on the density-matrix renormalization group algorithm. Our results predict that correlated tunneling can significantly modify the parameter range of the topological insulator phase. At vanishing values of the onsite interactions, moreover, correlated tunneling promotes the onset of a phase with a large number of low-energy metastable configurations.

Dissipation-Engineered Family of Nearly Dark States in Many-Body Cavity-Atom Systems.

Three-level atomic systems coupled to light have the capacity to host dark states. We study a system of V-shaped three-level atoms coherently coupled to the two quadratures of a dissipative cavity. The interplay between the atomic level structure and dissipation makes the phase diagram of the open system drastically different from the closed one. In particular, it leads to the stabilization of a continuous family of dark and nearly dark excited many-body states with inverted atomic populations as the steady states. The multistability of these states can be probed via their distinct fluctuations and excitation spectra, as well as the system's Liouvillian dynamics which are highly sensitive to ramp protocols. Our model can be implemented experimentally by encoding the two higher-energy modes in orthogonal density-modulated states in a bosonic quantum gas. This implementation offers prospects for potential applications like the realization of quantum optical random walks and microscopy with subwavelength spatial resolution.

Extended Bose-Hubbard models with Rydberg macrodimer dressing

Extended Hubbard models have proven to bear novel phases of matter, but their experimental realization remains challenging. In this work we propose to use bosonic quantum gases dressed with molecular bound states in Rydberg interaction potentials for the observation of these quantum states. We study the molecular Rabi coupling with respect to the effective principal quantum number and trapping frequency of the ground-state atoms for various molecular potentials of rubidium and potassium, and the hereby resulting dressed interaction strength. Additionally, we propose a two-color excitation scheme which significantly increases the dressed interaction and cancels otherwise-limiting ac Stark shifts. We study the various equilibrium phases of the corresponding extended Bose-Hubbard model by means of the cluster Gutzwiller approach and perform time evolution simulations via the Lindblad master equation. We find a supersolid phase by slowly ramping the molecular Rabi coupling of an initially prepared superfluid and discuss the role of dissipation.

Exact N -point-function mapping between pairs of experiments with Markovian open quantum systems

We formulate an exact spacetime mapping between the $\mathcal{N}$-point correlation functions of two different experiments with open quantum gases. Our formalism extends a quantum-field mapping result for closed systems [Phys. Rev. A \textbf{94}, 043628 (2016)] to the general case of open quantum systems with Markovian property. For this, we consider an open many-body system consisting of a $D$-dimensional quantum gas of bosons or fermions that interacts with a bath under Born-Markov approximation and evolves according to a Lindblad master equation in a regime of loss or gain. Invoking the independence of expectation values on pictures of quantum mechanics and using the quantum fields that describe the gas dynamics, we derive the Heisenberg evolution of any arbitrary $\mathcal{N}$-point function of the system in the regime when the Lindblad generators feature a loss or a gain. Our quantum field mapping for closed quantum systems is rewritten in the Schr\"odinger picture and then extended to open quantum systems by relating onto each other two different evolutions of the $\mathcal{N}$-point functions of the open quantum system. As a concrete example of the mapping, we consider the mean-field dynamics of a simple dissipative quantum system that consists of a one-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate being locally bombarded by a dissipating beam of electrons in both cases when the beam amplitude or the waist is steady and modulated.

Lattice modulation spectroscopy of one-dimensional quantum gases: Universal scaling of the absorbed energy

Lattice modulation spectroscopy is a powerful tool for probing low-energy excitations of interacting many-body systems. By means of bosonization we analyze the absorbed power in a one dimensional interacting quantum gas of bosons or fermions, subjected to a periodic drive of the optical lattice. For these Tomonaga Luttinger liquids we find a universal $\omega^3$ scaling of the absorbed power, that at very low-frequency turns into an $\omega^2$ scaling when scattering processes at the boundary of the system are taken into account. We confirm this behavior numerically by simulations based on time-dependent matrix product states. Furthermore, in the presence of impurities, the theory predicts an $\omega^2$ bulk scaling. While typical response functions of Tomonaga Luttinger liquids are characterized by exponents that depend on the interaction strength, modulation spectroscopy of cold atoms leads to a universal power-law exponent of the absorbed power. Our findings can be readily demonstrated in ultracold atoms in optical lattices with current experimental technology.

Gauge invariance with cold atoms

Quantum Simulation There is considerable interest in developing quantum computational technologies that can simulate a series of physical phenomena inaccessible by classical computers. Mil et al. propose a modular scheme for quantum simulation of a U(1) lattice gauge theory based on heteronuclear spin-changing collisions in a mixture of two bosonic quantum gases isolated in single wells of a one-dimensional optical lattice. They engineered the elementary building block for a single well and demonstrate its reliable operation that preserves the gauge invariance. The potential for scalability of the proposed scheme opens up opportunities to address challenges in quantum simulating the continuum limit of the gauge theories. Science , this issue p. [1128][1] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aaz5312

A scalable realization of local U(1) gauge invariance in cold atomic mixtures.

In the fundamental laws of physics, gauge fields mediate the interaction between charged particles. An example is the quantum theory of electrons interacting with the electromagnetic field, based on U(1) gauge symmetry. Solving such gauge theories is in general a hard problem for classical computational techniques. Although quantum computers suggest a way forward, large-scale digital quantum devices for complex simulations are difficult to build. We propose a scalable analog quantum simulator of a U(1) gauge theory in one spatial dimension. Using interspecies spin-changing collisions in an atomic mixture, we achieve gauge-invariant interactions between matter and gauge fields with spin- and species-independent trapping potentials. We experimentally realize the elementary building block as a key step toward a platform for quantum simulations of continuous gauge theories.

Crossed-beam optically degenerate wave mixing with bosonic quantum gases

Crossed-beam optically degenerate wave mixing with bosonic quantum gases

Decay-dephasing-induced steady states in bosonic Rydberg-excited quantum gases in an optical lattice

We investigate the possibility of realizing supersolid quantum phases in bosonic Rydberg-excited quantum lattice gases in the presence of non-unitary processes, by simulating the dynamical evolution starting from initial preparation in non-dissipative equilibrium states. Within Gutzwiller theory, we first analyze the many-body ground-state of a bosonic Rydberg-excited quantum gas in a two dimensional optical lattice for variable atomic hopping rates and Rabi detunings. Furthermore, we perform time evolution of different supersolid phases using the Lindblad-master equation. With the inclusion of two different non-unitary processes, namely spontaneous decay from a Rydberg state to the ground state and dephasing of the addressed Rydberg state, we study the effect of non-unitary processes on those quantum phases and observe long-lived states in the presence of decay and dephasing. We find that long-lived supersolid quantum phases are observable within a range of realistic decay and dephasing rates, while high rates cause any initial configuration to homogenize quickly, preventing possible supersolid formation.

Controlled doping of a bosonic quantum gas with single neutral atoms

We report on the experimental doping of a 87Rubidium (Rb) Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) with individual neutral 133Cesium (Cs) atoms. We discuss the experimental tools and procedures to facilitate Cs-Rb interaction. First, we use degenerate Raman side-band cooling of the impurities to enhance the immersion efficiency for the impurity in the quantum gas. We identify the immersed fraction of Cs impurities from the thermalization of Cs atoms upon impinging on a BEC, where elastic collisions lead to a localization of Cs atoms in the Rb cloud. Second, further enhancement of the immersion probability is obtained by localizing the Cs atoms in a species-selective optical lattice and a subsequent transport into the Rb cloud. Here, impurity-BEC interaction is monitored by position and time-resolved three-body loss of Cs impurities immersed into the BEC. This combination of experimental methods allows for the controlled doping of a BEC with neutral impurity atoms, paving the way to impurity aided probing and coherent impurity-quantum bath interaction.

Accessing finite-momentum excitations of the one-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model using superlattice-modulation spectroscopy

We investigate the response to superlattice modulation of a bosonic quantum gas confined to arrays of tubes emulating the one-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model. We demonstrate, using both time-dependent density matrix renormalization group and linear response theory, that such a superlattice modulation gives access to the excitation spectrum of the Bose-Hubbard model at finite momenta. Deep in the Mott-insulator, the response is characterized by a narrow energy absorption peak at a frequency approximately corresponding to the onsite interaction strength between bosons. This spectroscopic technique thus allows for an accurate measurement of the effective value of the interaction strength. On the superfluid side, we show that the response depends on the lattice filling. The system can either respond at infinitely small values of the modulation frequency or only above a frequency threshold. We discuss our numerical findings in light of analytical results obtained for the Lieb-Liniger model. In particular, for this continuum model, bosonization predicts power-law onsets for both responses.

Unified theory for excited-state, fragmented, and equilibriumlike Bose condensation in pumped photonic many-body systems

We derive a theory for Bose condensation in nonequilibrium steady states of bosonic quantum gases that are coupled both to a thermal heat bath and to a pumped reservoir (or gain medium), while suffering from loss. Such a scenario describes photonic many-body systems such as exciton-polariton gases. Our analysis is based on a set of kinetic equations for a gas of noninteracting bosons. By identifying a dimensionless scaling parameter controlling the boson density, we derive a sharp criterion for which system states become selected to host a macroscopic occupation. We show that with increasing pump power, the system generically undergoes a sequence of nonequilibrum phase transitions. At each transition a state either becomes or ceases to be Bose selected (i.e. to host a condensate): The state which first acquires a condensate when the pumping exceeds a threshold is the one with the largest ratio of pumping to loss. This intuitive behavior resembles simple lasing. In the limit of strong pumping, the coupling to the heat bath becomes dominant so that eventually the ground state is selected, corresponding to equilibrium(-like) Bose condensation. For intermediate pumping strengths, several states become selected giving rise to fragmented nonequilibrium Bose condensation. We compare these predictions to experimental results obtained for excitons polaritons in a double-pillar structure [Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 126403 (2012)] and find good agreement. Our theory, moreover, predicts that the reservoir occupation is clamped at a constant value whenever the system hosts an odd number of Bose condensates.

Quantum correlations at infinite temperature: The dynamical Nagaoka effect

Do quantum correlations play a role in high temperature dynamics of many-body systems? A common expectation is that thermal fluctuations lead to fast decoherence and make dynamics classical. In this paper, we provide a striking example of a single particle created in a featureless, infinite temperature spin bath which not only exhibits non-classical dynamics but also induces strong long-lived correlations between the surrounding spins. We study the non-equilibrium dynamics of a hole created in a fermionic or bosonic Mott insulator in the atomic limit, which corresponds to a degenerate spin system. In the absence of interactions, the spin correlations arise purely from quantum interference, and the correlations are both antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic, in striking contrast to the equilibrium Nagaoka effect. These results are relevant for several condensed matter spin systems, and should be observable using state of the art bosonic or fermionic quantum gas microscopes.

Non-equilibrium thermodynamics of harmonically trapped bosons

We apply the framework of non-equilibrium quantum thermodynamics to the physics of quenched small-sized bosonic quantum gases in a one-dimensional harmonic trap. We show that dynamical orthogonality can occur in these few-body systems with strong interactions after a quench and we find its occurrence analytically for an infinitely repulsive pair of atoms. We further show this phenomena is related to the fundamental excitations that dictate the dynamics from the spectral function. We establish a clear qualitative link between the amount of (irreversible) work performed on the system and the establishment of entanglement. We extend our analysis to multipartite systems by examining the case of three trapped atoms. We show the initial (pre-quench) interactions play a vital role in determining the dynamical features, while the qualitative features of the two particle case appear to remain valid. Finally, we propose the use of the atomic density profile as a readily accessible indicator of the non-equilibrium properties of the systems in question.

Topological hardcore bosons on the honeycomb lattice

This paper presents a connection between the topological properties of hardcore bosons and that of magnons in quantum spin magnets. We utilize the Haldane-like hardcore bosons on the honeycomb lattice as an example. We show that this system maps to a spin-1/2 quantum XY model with a next-nearest-neighbour Dzyaloshinsky–Moriya interaction. We obtain the magnon excitations of the quantum spin model and compute the edge states, Berry curvature, and thermal and spin Nernst conductivities. Because of the mapping from spin variables to bosons, the hardcore bosons possess the same nontrivial topological properties as those in quantum spin systems. These results are important in the study of magnetic excitations in quantum magnets and they are also useful for understanding the control of ultracold bosonic quantum gases in honeycomb optical lattices, which is experimentally accessible.