Variational wave-function study of the triangular lattice supersolid

Spin supersolid phase in coupled alternating spin chains

We study the ground state phase diagram of a two dimensional mixed-spin system of coupled alternating spin-1 and 1/2 chains with a stripe supersolid phase. Utilizing different analytical and numerical approaches such as mean field approximation, cluster mean field theory and linear spin wave theory, we demonstrate that our system displays a rich ground state phase diagram including novel stripe supersolid, solids with different fillings and super-counterfluid phases, in addition to a stripe solid with half filling, superfluid and Mott insulating phases. In order to find a minimal mixed-spin model for stripe supersolidity, in the second part of the paper we consider two kinds of mixed-spin system of coupled alternating spin-1 and 1/2 chains with (i) anisotropic nearest neighbor interactions, (ii) anisotropic hoppings and study their ground state phase diagrams. We demonstrate that, for the systems with uniform hoppings, the repulsive intra-chains interactions are necessary for stripe supersolidity. In this case the minimal two dimensional mixed-spin model is a system of spin-1 and spin-1/2 XXZ chains, interacting via Ising Hamiltonian. In the case of anisotropic hoppings, a system of coupled Ising chains is the minimal model.

Vortices and vortex lattices in quantum ferrofluids

The experimental realization of quantum-degenerate Bose gases made of atoms with sizeable magnetic dipole moments has created a new type of fluid, known as a quantum ferrofluid, which combines the extraordinary properties of superfluidity and ferrofluidity. A hallmark of superfluids is that they are constrained to rotate through vortices with quantized circulation. In quantum ferrofluids the long-range dipolar interactions add new ingredients by inducing magnetostriction and instabilities, and also affect the structural properties of vortices and vortex lattices. Here we give a review of the theory of vortices in dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates, exploring the interplay of magnetism with vorticity and contrasting this with the established behaviour in non-dipolar condensates. We cover single vortex solutions, including structure, energy and stability, vortex pairs, including interactions and dynamics, and also vortex lattices. Our discussion is founded on the mean-field theory provided by the dipolar Gross-Pitaevskii equation, ranging from analytic treatments based on the Thomas-Fermi (hydrodynamic) and variational approaches to full numerical simulations. Routes for generating vortices in dipolar condensates are discussed, with particular attention paid to rotating condensates, where surface instabilities drive the nucleation of vortices, and lead to the emergence of rich and varied vortex lattice structures. We also present an outlook, including potential extensions to degenerate Fermi gases, quantum Hall physics, toroidal systems and the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition.

Quantum Domain Walls Induce Incommensurate Supersolid Phase on the Anisotropic Triangular Lattice

We investigate the extended hard-core Bose-Hubbard model on the triangular lattice as a function of spatial anisotropy with respect to both hopping and nearest-neighbor interaction strength. At half-filling the system can be tuned from decoupled one-dimensional chains to a two-dimensional solid phase with alternating density order by adjusting the anisotropic coupling. At intermediate anisotropy, however, frustration effects dominate and an incommensurate supersolid phase emerges, which is characterized by incommensurate density order as well as an anisotropic superfluid density. We demonstrate that this intermediate phase results from the proliferation of topological defects in the form of quantum bosonic domain walls. Accordingly, the structure factor has peaks at wave vectors, which are linearly related to the number of domain walls in a finite system in agreement with extensive quantum Monte Carlo simulations. We discuss possible connections with the supersolid behavior in the high-temperature superconducting striped phase.

Melting of Three-Sublattice Order in Easy-Axis Antiferromagnets on Triangular and Kagome Lattices

When the constituent spins have an energetic preference to lie along an easy axis, triangular and kagome lattice antiferromagnets often develop long-range order that distinguishes the three sublattices of the underlying triangular Bravais lattice. In zero magnetic field, this three-sublattice order melts either in a two-step manner, i.e., via an intermediate phase with power-law three-sublattice order controlled by a temperature-dependent exponent η(T)∈(1/9,1/4), or via a transition in the three-state Potts universality class. Here, I predict that the uniform susceptibility to a small easy-axis field B diverges as χ(B)∼|B|^{-[(4-18η)/(4-9η)]} in a large part of the intermediate power-law ordered phase [corresponding to η(T)∈(1/9,2/9)], providing an easy-to-measure thermodynamic signature of two-step melting. I also show that these two melting scenarios can be generically connected via an intervening multicritical point and obtain numerical estimates of multicritical exponents.

Quantum phase diagram of the triangular-lattice XXZ model in a magnetic field

The triangular lattice of S=1/2 spins with XXZ anisotropy is a ubiquitous model for various frustrated systems in different contexts. We determine the quantum phase diagram of the model in the plane of the anisotropy parameter and the magnetic field by means of a large-size cluster mean-field method with a scaling scheme. We find that quantum fluctuations break up the nontrivial continuous degeneracy into two first-order phase transitions. In between the two transition boundaries, the degeneracy-lifting results in the emergence of a new coplanar phase not predicted in the classical counterpart of the model. We suggest that the quantum phase transition to the nonclassical coplanar state can be observed in triangular-lattice antiferromagnets with large easy-plane anisotropy or in the corresponding optical-lattice systems.

Supersolidity in the triangular lattice spin-1/2 XXZ model: a variational perspective

We study the spin-1/2 XXZ model on the triangular lattice with a nearest neighbor antiferromagnetic Ising coupling J(z) > 0 and unfrustrated (J(perpendicular) < 0) or frustrated (J(perpendicular) >0) kinetic terms in a zero magnetic field. Incorporating long-range Jastrow correlations over a mean-field spin state, we obtain the variational phase diagram of this model on large lattices for arbitrary J(z) and either sign of J(perpendicular). For J(perpendicular) < 0, we find a square root(3) x square root(3) supersolid for J(z)/J(perpendicular)| approximately > 4.7, in excellent agreement with quantum Monte Carlo data. For J(perpendicular) > 0, a distinct square root(3) x square root(3) supersolid is found to emerge for J(z)/J(perpendicular) > or = 1. Both supersolids exhibit a spontaneous density deviation from half-filling. At J(z)/J(perpendicular) = infinity, the crystalline order parameters of these two supersolids are nearly identical, consistent with exact results.

Extended supersolid phase of frustrated hard-core bosons on a triangular lattice

We study a model of hard-core bosons with frustrated nearest-neighbor hopping (t) and repulsion (V) on the triangular lattice. We argue for a supersolid ground state in the large repulsion (V>>|t|) limit where a dimer representation applies, by constructing a unitary mapping to the well-understood unfrustrated hopping case. This generalized "Marshall sign rule" allows us to establish the precise nature of the supersolid order by utilizing a recently proposed dimer variational wave function, whose correlations can be efficiently calculated using the Grassmann approach. By continuity, a supersolid is predicted over the wide parameter range, V>-2t>0. This also establishes a simple phase diagram for the triangular lattice spin 1/2 XXZ antiferromagnet.