Ultracold Alkaline-earth Atoms Research Articles

SU(N) magnetism with ultracold molecules

Abstract Quantum systems with SU(N) symmetry are paradigmatic settings for quantum many-body physics. They have been studied for the insights they provide into complex materials and their ability to stabilize exotic ground states. Ultracold alkaline-earth atoms were predicted to exhibit SU(N) symmetry for N = 2I +1 = 1, 2, . . . , 10, where I is the nuclear spin. Subsequent experiments have revealed rich many-body physics. However, alkaline-earth atoms realize this symmetry only for fermions with repulsive interactions. In this paper, we predict that ultracold molecules shielded from destructive collisions with static electric fields or microwaves exhibit SU(N) symmetry, which holds because deviations of the s-wave scattering length from the spin-free values are only about 3% for CaF with static-field shielding and are estimated to be even smaller for bialkali molecules. They open the door to N as large as 32 for bosons and 36 for fermions. They offer important features unachievable with atoms, including bosonic systems and attractive interactions.

Field control of symmetry-broken and quantum disordered phases in frustrated moiré bilayers with population imbalance

We determine the ground states and excitation spectra of the paradigmatic four-flavor Heisenberg model with nearest- and next-nearest-neighbor exchange couplings on the triangular lattice in a field controlling the population imbalance of flavor pairs. Such a system arises in the strongly correlated limit of moiré bilayers of transition metal dichalcogenides in an electric displacement field or in-plane magnetic field, and can be simulated via ultracold alkaline-earth atoms. We argue that the field tunes between effective SU(4) and SU(2) symmetries in the balanced and fully polarized limits and employ a combination of mean-field calculations, flavor-wave theory, and exact diagonalization to analyze the intermediate, imbalanced regime. We find different symmetry-broken phases with simultaneous spin and excitonic order depending on the field and next-nearest-neighbor coupling. Furthermore, we demonstrate that there is a strongly fluctuating regime without long-range order that connects candidate spin liquids of the SU(2) and SU(4) limit. The strong fluctuations are facilitated by an extensive classical degeneracy of the model, and we argue that they are also responsible for a strong polarizability at 1/3 polarization that survives from the mean-field level to the exact spectrum. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Scattering amplitude and two-body loss of ultracold alkaline-earth atoms in a shaking synthetic magnetic field

The idea of manipulating the interaction between ultracold fermionic alkaline-earth (like) atoms via a laser-induced periodical synthetic magnetic field was proposed in Kanász-Nagy et al (2018 Phys. Rev. B 97, 155156). In that work, it was shown that in the presence of the shaking synthetic magnetic field, two atoms in 1S0 and 3P0 states experience a periodical interaction in a rotated frame, and the effective inter-atomic interaction was approximated as the time-averaged operator of this time-dependent interaction. This technique is supposed to be efficient for 173Yb atoms which have a large natural scattering length. Here we examine this time-averaging approximation and derive the rate of the two-body loss induced by the shaking of the synthetic magnetic field, by calculating the zero-energy inter-atomic scattering amplitude corresponding to the explicit periodical interaction. We find that for the typical cases with shaking angular frequency λ of the synthetic magnetic field being of the order of (2π) kHz, the time-averaging approximation is applicable only when the shaking amplitude is small enough. Moreover, the two-body loss rate increases with the shaking amplitude, and is of the order of 10−10 cm3 · s−1 or even larger when the time-averaging approximation is not applicable. Our results are helpful for the quantum simulations with ultracold gases of fermionic alkaline-earth (like) atoms.

SU(4)-symmetric Hubbard model at quarter filling: Insights from the dynamical mean-field approach

We apply the dynamical mean-field approach to the four-component SU(4)-symmetric Fermi-Hubbard model to study transitions between different magnetically ordered phases as well as the hysteresis behavior in the unordered regime. At quarter filling (one particle per site) on the square lattice we identify both the two-sublattice and plaquette-ordered antiferromagnetic phases with the corresponding entropy-driven hierarchy for critical temperatures. We also analyze the behavior of thermodynamic characteristics: the local double occupancy, compressibility, and entropy per particle, which are relevant for experiments with ultracold alkaline-earth(-like) atoms in optical lattices.

Microscale whispering-gallery-mode light sources with lattice-confined atoms

Microlasers, relying on the strong coupling between active particles and optical microcavity, exhibit fundamental differences from conventional lasers, such as multi-threshold/thresholdless behavior and nonclassical photon emission. As light sources, microlasers possess extensive applications in precision measurement, quantum information processing, and biochemical sensing. Here we propose a whispering-gallery-mode microlaser scheme, where ultracold alkaline-earth metal atoms, i.e., gain medium, are tightly confined in a two-color evanescent lattice that is in the ring shape and formed around a microsphere. To suppress the influence of the lattice-induced ac Stark shift on the moderately-narrow-linewidth laser transition, the red-detuned trapping beams operate at a magic wavelength while the wavelength of the blue-detuned trapping beam is set close to the other magic wavelength. The tiny mode volume and high quality factor of the microsphere ensure the strong atom-microcavity coupling in the bad-cavity regime. As a result, both saturation photon and critical atom numbers, which characterize the laser performance, are substantially reduced below unity. We explore the lasing action of the coupled system by using the Monte Carlo approach. Our scheme may be potentially generalized to the microlasers based on the forbidden clock transitions, holding the prospect for microscale active optical clocks in precision measurement and frequency metrology.

Few-body solutions under spin-exchange interaction: Magnetic bound state and the Kondo screening effect

Motivated by recent progresses on ultracold alkaline-earth atoms towards the goal of simulating Kondo physics, in this work we exactly solve the few-body problem of one and two trapped fermions in one dimension interacting with a localized impurity under tunable spin-exchange interaction. It is found that depending on the sign of the spin-exchange coupling, ferromagnetic(FM) or anti-ferromagnetic(AFM), the attractive and repulsive branches can hold different magnetic structures. For the two fermions case, we demonstrate the Kondo screening effect for the attractive branch with AFM coupling, and show that such screening is absent for the ground state with FM coupling. Moreover, we find a sequence of FM upper branches in the AFM coupling side. These FM states are orthogonal to all other attractive branches and their wave functions feature a full spin-charge separation. The effect of an additional contact interaction and the extension of our results to many particles are also discussed. This work reveals the intriguing physics uniquely associated with the spin-exchange interaction in the few-body point of view, which are promisingly to be explored in the experiment of ultracold alkaline-earth atoms.

Publisher Correction: Controlling the interaction of ultracold alkaline-earth atoms

Publisher Correction: Controlling the interaction of ultracold alkaline-earth atoms

Orbital ordering of ultracold alkaline-earth atoms in optical lattices

We report on a dynamical mean-field theoretical analysis of emerging low-temperature phases in multicomponent gases of fermionic alkaline-earth(-like) atoms in state-dependent optical lattices. Using the example of $^{173}$Yb atoms, we show that a two-orbital mixture with two nuclear spin components is a promising candidate for studies of not only magnetic but also staggered orbital ordering peculiar to certain solid-state materials. We calculate and study the phase diagram of the full Hamiltonian with parameters similar to existing experiments and reveal an antiferroorbital phase. This long-range-ordered phase is inherently stable, and we analyze the change of local and global observables across the corresponding transition lines, paving the way for experimental observations. Furthermore, we suggest a realistic extension of the system to include and probe a Jahn-Teller source field playing one of the key roles in real crystals.

Controlling the interaction of ultracold alkaline-earth atoms

Ultracold alkaline-earth atoms have now been widely explored for precision measurements and quantum simulation. Because of its unique atomic structure, alkaline earth atoms possess great advantages for quantum simulation and studying quantum many-body matters, such as simulating synthetic gauge field, Kondo physics and $SU(N)$ physics. To fully explore the potential of ultracold alkaline-earth atoms, these systems also need to be equipped with the capability of tuning the inter-atomic interaction to the strongly interacting regime. Recently several theoretical proposals and experimental demonstrations have shown that both spin-independent and spin-exchanging interaction can be tuned to resonance. In this perspective, we will review these progress and discuss the new opportunities brought by these interaction control tools for future quantum simulation studies with ultracold alkaline-earth atoms.

Rashba and Weyl spin-orbit coupling in an optical lattice clock

Recent experimental realization of one-dimensional (1D) spin-orbit coupling (SOC) for ultracold alkaline-earth(-like) atoms in optical lattice clocks opens a new avenue for exploring exotic quantum matter because of the strongly suppressed heating of atoms from lasers comparing with alkaline atoms. Here we propose a scheme to realize two-dimensional (2D) Rashba and three-dimensional (3D) Weyl types of SOC in a 3D optical lattice clock and explore their topological phases. With 3D Weyl SOC, the system can support topological phases with various numbers as well as types (I or II) of Weyl points. The spin textures of such topological bands for 2D Rashba and 3D Weyl SOC can be detected using suitably designed spectroscopic sequences. Our proposal may pave the way for the experimental realization of robust topological quantum matters and their exotic quasiparticle excitations in ultracold atomic gases.

Non-Hermitian Kondo Effect in Ultracold Alkaline-Earth Atoms.

We investigate the Kondo effect in an open quantum system, motivated by recent experiments with ultracold alkaline-earth(-like) atoms. Because of inelastic collisions and the associated atom losses, this system is described by a complex-valued Kondo interaction and provides a non-Hermitian extension of the Kondo problem. We show that the non-Hermiticity induces anomalous reversion of renormalization-group flows which violate the g theorem due to nonunitarity and produce a quantum phase transition unique to non-Hermiticity. Furthermore, we exactly solve the non-Hermitian Kondo Hamiltonian using a generalized Bethe ansatz method and find the critical line consistent with the renormalization-group flow.

Formula omitted] quantum spin ladders as a regularization of the [formula omitted] model at non-zero density: From classical to quantum simulation

Quantum simulations would be highly desirable in order to investigate the finite density physics of QCD. (1+1)-d CP(N−1) quantum field theories are toy models that share many important features of QCD: they are asymptotically free, have a non-perturbatively generated massgap, as well as θ-vacua. SU(N) quantum spin ladders provide an unconventional regularization of CP(N−1) models that is well-suited for quantum simulation with ultracold alkaline-earth atoms in an optical lattice. In order to validate future quantum simulation experiments of CP(2) models at finite density, here we use quantum Monte Carlo simulations on classical computers to investigate SU(3) quantum spin ladders at non-zero chemical potential. This reveals a rich phase structure, with single- or double-species Bose–Einstein “condensates”, with or without ferromagnetic order.

Unified phase diagram of antiferromagnetic SU( N ) spin ladders

Motivated by near-term experiments with ultracold alkaline-earth atoms confined to optical lattices, we establish numerically and analytically the phase diagram of two-leg SU($N$) spin ladders. Two-leg ladders provide a rich and highly non-trivial extension of the single chain case on the way towards the relatively little explored two dimensional situation. Focusing on the experimentally relevant limit of one fermion per site, antiferromagnetic exchange interactions, and $2\leq N \leq 6$, we show that the phase diagrams as a function of the interchain (rung) to intrachain (leg) coupling ratio $J_\perp/J_\Vert$ strongly differ for even vs. odd $N$. For even $N=4$ and 6, we demonstrate that the phase diagram consists of a single valence bond crystal (VBC) with a spatial period of $N/2$ rungs. For odd $N=3$ and 5, we find surprisingly rich phase diagrams exhibiting three distinct phases. For weak rung coupling, we obtain a VBC with a spatial period of $N$ rungs, whereas for strong coupling we obtain a critical phase related to the case of a single chain. In addition, we encounter intermediate phases for odd $N$, albeit of a different nature for $N=3$ as compared to $N=5$. For $N=3$, we find a novel gapless intermediate phase with $J_\perp$-dependent incommensurate spatial fluctuations in a sizeable region of the phase diagram. For $N=5$, there are strong indications for a narrow potentially gapped intermediate phase, whose nature is not entirely clear.

Superexchange-mediated magnetization dynamics with ultracold alkaline-earth atoms in an optical lattice**Project supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2016YFA0301504).

Superexchange and inter-orbital spin-exchange interactions are key ingredients for understanding (orbital) quantum magnetism in strongly correlated systems and have been realized in ultracold atomic gases. Here we study the spin dynamics of ultracold alkaline-earth atoms in an optical lattice when the two exchange interactions coexist. In the superexchange interaction dominating regime, we find that the time-resolved spin imbalance shows a remarkable modulated oscillation, which can be attributed to the interplay between local and nonlocal quantum mechanical exchange mechanisms. Moreover, the filling of the long-lived excited atoms affects the collapse and revival of the magnetization dynamics. These observations can be realized in state-dependent optical lattices combined with the state-of-the-art advances in optical lattice clock spectroscopy.

Spin-Orbit-Coupled Correlated Metal Phase in Kondo Lattices: An Implementation with Alkaline-Earth Atoms

We show that an interplay between quantum effects, strong on-site ferromagnetic exchange interaction, and antiferromagnetic correlations in Kondo lattices can give rise to an exotic spin-orbit coupled metallic state in regimes where classical treatments predict a trivial insulating behavior. This phenomenon can be simulated with ultracold alkaline-earth fermionic atoms subject to a laser-induced magnetic field by observing dynamics of spin-charge excitations in quench experiments.

Interacting heavy fermions in a disordered optical lattice

We have theoretically studied the effect of disorder on ultracold alkaline-earth atoms governed by the Kondo lattice model in an optical lattice via simplified double-well model and hybridization mean-field theory. Disorder-induced narrowing and even complete closure of hybridization gap have been predicted and the compressibility of the system has also been investigated for metallic and Kondo insulator phases in the presence of the disordered potential. To make connection to the experimental situation, we have numerically solved the disordered Kondo lattice model with an external harmonic trap and shown both the melting of Kondo insulator plateau and an compressibility anomaly at low-density.

Atomic quantum simulation of U(N) and SU(N) non-Abelian lattice gauge theories.

Using ultracold alkaline-earth atoms in optical lattices, we construct a quantum simulator for U(N) and SU(N) lattice gauge theories with fermionic matter based on quantum link models. These systems share qualitative features with QCD, including chiral symmetry breaking and restoration at nonzero temperature or baryon density. Unlike classical simulations, a quantum simulator does not suffer from sign problems and can address the corresponding chiral dynamics in real time.

Two-orbital S U(N) magnetism with ultracold alkaline-earth atoms

Fermionic alkaline-earth atoms have unique properties that make them attractive candidates for the realization of novel atomic clocks and degenerate quantum gases. At the same time, they are attracting considerable theoretical attention in the context of quantum information processing. Here we demonstrate that when such atoms are loaded in optical lattices, they can be used as quantum simulators of unique many-body phenomena. In particular, we show that the decoupling of the nuclear spin from the electronic angular momentum can be used to implement many-body systems with an unprecedented degree of symmetry, characterized by the SU(N) group with N as large as 10. Moreover, the interplay of the nuclear spin with the electronic degree of freedom provided by a stable optically excited state allows for the study of spin-orbital physics. Such systems may provide valuable insights into strongly correlated physics of transition metal oxides, heavy fermion materials, and spin liquid phases.