Quantum spin liquids (QSLs) define an exotic class of quantum ground states where spins are disordered down to zero temperature. We propose routes to QSLs in kagome optical lattices using applied flux. An optical flux lattice can be applied to induce a uniform flux and chiral three-spin interactions that drive the formation of a gapped chiral spin liquid. A different approach based on recent experiments using laser-assisted tunneling and lattice tilt implements a staggered flux pattern which can drive a gapless spin liquid with symmetry protected nodal lines. Our proposals, therefore, establish kagome optical lattices with effective flux as a powerful platform for exploration of QSLs.
Light-induced spin-orbit coupling is a flexible tool to study quantum magnetism with ultracold atoms. In this work we show that spin-orbit coupled Bose gases in a one-dimensional optical lattice can be mapped into a two-leg triangular ladder with staggered flux following a lowest-band truncation of the Hamiltonian. The effective flux and the ratio of the tunneling strengths can be independently adjusted to a wide range of values. We identify a certain regime of parameters where a hard-core boson approximation holds and the system realizes a frustrated triangular spin ladder with tunable flux. We study the properties of the effective spin Hamiltonian using the density-matrix renormalization-group method and determine the phase diagram at half-filling. It displays two phases: a uniform superfluid and a bond-ordered insulator. The latter can be stabilized only for low Raman detuning. Finally, we provide experimentally feasible trajectories across the parameter space of the SOC system that cross the predicted phase transition.
Anisotropic dipole-dipole interactions between ultracold dipolar fermions break the symmetry of the Fermi surface and thereby deform it. Here we demonstrate that such a Fermi surface deformation induces a topological phase transition -- so-called Lifshitz transition -- in the regime accessible to present-day experiments. We describe the impact of the Lifshitz transition on observable quantities such as the Fermi surface topology, the density-density correlation function, and the excitation spectrum of the system. The Lifshitz transition in ultracold atoms can be controlled by tuning the dipole orientation and -- in contrast to the transition studied in crystalline solids -- is completely interaction-driven.
Time periodic forcing in the form of coherent radiation is a standard tool for the coherent manipulation of small quantum systems like single atoms. In the last years, periodic driving has more and more also been considered as a means for the coherent control of many-body systems. In particular, experiments with ultracold quantum gases in optical lattices subjected to periodic driving in the lower kilohertz regime have attracted a lot of attention. Milestones include the observation of dynamic localization, the dynamic control of the quantum phase transition between a bosonic superfluid and a Mott insulator, as well as the dynamic creation of strong artificial magnetic fields and topological band structures. This article reviews these recent experiments and their theoretical description. Moreover, fundamental properties of periodically driven many-body systems are discussed within the framework of Floquet theory, including heating, relaxation dynamics, anomalous topological edge states, and the response to slow parameter variations.
Matter waves can be coherently and adiabatically loaded and controlled in strongly driven optical lattices. This coherent control is used in order to modify the modulus and the sign of the tunneling matrix element in the tunneling Hamiltonian. Our findings pave the way for studies of driven quantum systems and new methods for engineering Hamiltonians that are impossible to realize with static techniques.
We investigate the spin-2 chain model corresponding to the small hopping limit of the spin-2 Bose-Hubbard model using density-matrix renormalization-group and time-evolution techniques. We calculate both static correlation functions and the dynamic structure factor. The dynamic structure factor in the dimerized phase differs significantly between parameters near the SU(5)-symmetric point and those deeper in the phase where the dimerization is strong. In the former case, most of the spectral weight is concentrated in a single excitation line, while in the latter case, a broad excitation continuum shows up. For the trimerized phase, we find gapless excitations at momenta $k=pm2pi/3$ in agreement with previous results, although the visibility of these excitations in the dynamic spin response depends strongly on the specific parameters. We also consider parameters for specific atoms which may be relevant for future optical-lattice experiments.