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Interaction-driven exotic quantum phases in spin-orbit-coupled spin-1 bosons

J. H. Pixley, Stefan S. Natu, I. B. Spielman, and S. Das Sarma
Phys. Rev. B 93, 081101(R) – Published 1 February 2016

Abstract

We study the interplay between large-spin, spin-orbit coupling, and superfluidity for bosons in a two-dimensional optical lattice, focusing on the spin-1 spin-orbit-coupled system recently realized at the Joint Quantum Institute [Campbell et al., arXiv:1501.05984]. We find a rich quantum phase diagram where, in addition to the conventional phases—superfluid and insulator—contained in the spin-1 Bose-Hubbard model, there are new lattice symmetry breaking phases. For weak interactions, the interplay between two length scales, the lattice momentum and the spin-orbit wave vector, induce a phase transition from a uniform superfluid to a phase where bosons simultaneously condense at the center and edge of the Brillouin zone at a nonzero spin-orbit strength. This state is characterized by spin-density-wave order, which arises from the spin-1 nature of the system. Interactions suppress spin-density-wave order, and favor a superfluid only at the Brillouin zone edge. This state has spatially oscillating mean-field order parameters, but a homogeneous density. We show that the spin-density-wave superfluid phase survives in a two-dimensional harmonic trap, and thus establish that our results are directly applicable to experiments on Rb87,Li7, and K41.

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  • Received 4 September 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.93.081101

©2016 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied PhysicsAtomic, Molecular & Optical

Authors & Affiliations

J. H. Pixley1,*, Stefan S. Natu1, I. B. Spielman2, and S. Das Sarma1

  • 1Condensed Matter Theory Center and Joint Quantum Institute, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-4111, USA
  • 2Joint Quantum Institute, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and University of Maryland, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899, USA

  • *jpixley@umd.edu

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Issue

Vol. 93, Iss. 8 — 15 February 2016

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