Abstract
Dipolar condensates have recently been coaxed to form the long-sought supersolid phase. While one-dimensional supersolids may be prepared by triggering a roton instability, we find that such a procedure in two dimensions (2D) leads to a loss of both global phase coherence and crystalline order. Unlike in 1D, the 2D roton modes have little in common with the supersolid configuration. We develop a finite-temperature stochastic Gross-Pitaevskii theory that includes beyond-mean-field effects to explore the formation process in 2D and find that evaporative cooling directly into the supersolid phase—hence bypassing the first-order roton instability—can produce a robust supersolid in a circular trap. Importantly, the resulting supersolid is stable at the final nonzero temperature. We then experimentally produce a 2D supersolid in a near-circular trap through such an evaporative procedure. Our work provides insight into the process of supersolid formation in 2D and defines a realistic path to the formation of large two-dimensional supersolid arrays.
- Received 14 July 2021
- Revised 19 January 2022
- Accepted 11 April 2022
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.128.195302
© 2022 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
synopsis
A Supersolid Disk
Published 13 May 2022
Researchers have created a disk-shaped supersolid, an achievement that could provide new routes to exploring previously unseen states of matter.
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