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Tight-binding models for ultracold atoms in honeycomb optical lattices

Julen Ibañez-Azpiroz, Asier Eiguren, Aitor Bergara, Giulio Pettini, and Michele Modugno
Phys. Rev. A 87, 011602(R) – Published 9 January 2013

Abstract

We discuss how to construct tight-binding models for ultracold atoms in honeycomb potentials, by means of the maximally localized Wannier functions (MLWFs) for composite bands introduced by Marzari and Vanderbilt [Phys. Rev. B 56, 12847 (1997)]. In particular, we work out the model with up to third-nearest neighbors, and provide explicit calculations of the MLWFs and of the tunneling coefficients for the graphenelike potential with two degenerate minima per unit cell. Finally, we discuss the degree of accuracy in reproducing the exact Bloch spectrum of different tight-binding approximations, in a range of typical experimental parameters.

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  • Received 29 November 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.87.011602

©2013 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Julen Ibañez-Azpiroz1,2, Asier Eiguren1,2, Aitor Bergara1,2,3, Giulio Pettini4, and Michele Modugno5,6

  • 1Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad del Pais Vasco, UPV/EHU, 48080 Bilbao, Spain
  • 2Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), 20018 Donostia, Spain
  • 3Centro de Física de Materiales CFM, Centro Mixto CSIC-UPV/EHU, 20018 Donostia, Spain
  • 4Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Firenze, and INFN, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
  • 5Departamento de Física Teórica e Historia de la Ciencia, Universidad del Pais Vasco, UPV/EHU, 48080 Bilbao, Spain
  • 6IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48011 Bilbao, Spain

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Issue

Vol. 87, Iss. 1 — January 2013

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