SEMINAR ANNOUNCEMENT: “Dipolar physics in lattices: Quantum magnetism and exotic quantum phases with molecules"

Jordi Mur-Petit

Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford

“Dipolar physics in lattices: Quantum magnetism and exotic quantum phases with molecules"

Abstract

The production and control of ultra-cold molecules has advanced extraordinarily in recent years, with several groups now having reported the production of a broad range of molecules in their absolute ground state [1], and observation of the coherent dynamics between different rotational states of polar molecules [2]. This advances moves us closer to building advanced quantum simulators for exotic strongly-correlated systems. Indeed, polar molecules trapped in optical lattices promise to be a fundamentally new tool for understanding the quantum physics of strongly correlated many-body systems. There is a vast number of theoretical proposals detailing the new and exciting physics to be revealed. For example, such systems will allow us to understand the exotic quantum phases of dipolar quantum gases [3] and to simulate lattices of interacting spins [4]. They will reveal fundamental aspects of quantum magnetism [5], and allow us to explore new regimes of superfluidity [6].

In this talk, I will first review recent experimental progress [1,2] and some of the phases that are expected to appear in these systems [3-6]. Then, I will outline our research projects with experimental groups in Durham and Imperial College to investigate the behaviour of generic many-body quantum systems encoded with ultracold molecules [7].

[1] See, e.g., S. Ospelkaus et al. [JILA], PRL 104, 030402 (2010); P. K. Molony et al. [Durham], PRL 113, 255301 (2014); M. Guo et al. [Hong Kong], PRL 116, 205303 (2016)

[2] B. Yan et al. [JILA], Nature 501, 521 (2013); S. A. Will et al. [MIT], PRL 116, 225306 (2016);

S. A. Will et al. [MIT], PRL 116, 225306 (2016); P. D. Gregory et al. [Durham], PRA 94, 041403(R) (2016); T. M. Rvachov et al. [MIT], PRL 119, 143001 (2017).

[3] K. Góral et al., PRL 88, 170406 (2002); G. E. Astrakharchik et al., PRL 98, 60405 (2007); H. P. Büchler et al., PRL 98, 060404 (2007); A. Macià et al., PRL 109, 235307 (2012).

[4] A. Micheli et al., Nat. Phys. 2, 341 (2006).

[5] A.V. Gorshkov et al., PRL 107, 155302 (2011).

[6] A. Pikovski et al., PRL 105, 215302 (2010).

[7] https://www.qsum.org.uk