264 research outputs found
Multi-flavor bosonic Hubbard models in the first excited Bloch band of an optical lattice
We propose that by exciting ultra cold atoms from the zeroth to the first
Bloch band in an optical lattice, novel multi-flavor bosonic Hubbard
Hamiltonians can be realized in a new way. In these systems, each flavor hops
in a separate direction and on-site exchange terms allow pairwise conversion
between different flavors. Using band structure calculations, we determine the
parameters entering these Hamiltonians and derive the mean field ground state
phase diagram for two effective Hamiltonians (2D, two-flavors and 3D, three
flavors). Further, we estimate the stability of atoms in the first band using
second order perturbation theory and find lifetimes that can be considerable
(10-100 times) longer than the relevant time scale associated with inter-site
hopping dynamics, suggesting that quasi-equilibrium can be achieved in these
meta-stable states.Comment: 26 pages, 18 figure
Superfluid-insulator transitions of two-species Bosons in an optical lattice
We consider a realization of the two-species bosonic Hubbard model with
variable interspecies interaction and hopping strength. We analyze the
superfluid-insulator (SI) transition for the relevant parameter regimes and
compute the ground state phase diagram for odd filling at commensurate
densities. We find that in contrast to the even commensurate filling case, the
superfluid-insulator transition occurs with (a) simultaneous onset of
superfluidity of both species or (b) coexistence of Mott insulating state of
one species and superfluidity of the other or, in the case of unit filling, (c)
complete depopulation of one species. The superfluid-insulator transition can
be first order in a large region of the phase diagram. We develop a variational
mean-field method which takes into account the effect of second order quantum
fluctuations on the superfluid-insulator transition and corroborate the
mean-field phase diagram using a quantum Monte Carlo study.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figure
FPU physics with nanomechanical graphene resonators: intrinsic relaxation and thermalization from flexural mode coupling
Thermalization in nonlinear systems is a central concept in statistical
mechanics and has been extensively studied theoretically since the seminal work
of Fermi, Pasta and Ulam (FPU). Using molecular dynamics and continuum modeling
of a ring-down setup, we show that thermalization due to nonlinear mode
coupling intrinsically limits the quality factor of nanomechanical graphene
drums and turns them into potential test beds for FPU physics. We find the
thermalization rate to be independent of radius and scaling as
, where and
are effective resonator temperature and prestrain
Nonlinear resonance in a three-terminal carbon nanotube resonator
The RF-response of a three-terminal carbon nanotube resonator coupled to
RF-transmission lines is studied by means of perturbation theory and direct
numerical integration. We find three distinct oscillatory regimes, including
one regime capable of exhibiting very large hysteresis loops in the frequency
response. Considering a purely capacitive transduction, we derive a set of
algebraic equations which can be used to find the output power (S-parameters)
for a device connected to transmission lines with characteristic impedance
.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figure
Electromechanical instability in suspended carbon nanotubes
We have theoretically investigated electromechanical properties of freely
suspended carbon nanotubes when a current is injected into the tubes using a
scanning tunneling microscope. We show that a shuttle-like electromechanical
instability can occur if the bias voltage exceeds a dissipation-dependent
threshold value. An instability results in large amplitude vibrations of the
carbon nanotube bending mode, which modify the current-voltage characteristics
of the system
Shuttle Mechanism for Charge Transfer in Coulomb Blockade Nanostructures
Room-temperature Coulomb blockade of charge transport through composite
nanostructures containing organic inter-links has recently been observed. A
pronounced charging effect in combination with the softness of the molecular
links implies that charge transfer gives rise to a significant deformation of
these structures. For a simple model system containing one nanoscale metallic
cluster connected by molecular links to two bulk metallic electrodes we show
that self-excitation of periodic cluster oscillations in conjunction with
sequential processes of cluster charging and decharging appears for a
sufficiently large bias voltage. This new `electron shuttle' mechanism of
discrete charge transfer gives rise to a current through the nanostructure,
which is proportional to the cluster vibration frequency.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Determination of the Bending Rigidity of Graphene via Electrostatic Actuation of Buckled Membranes
The small mass and atomic-scale thickness of graphene membranes make them
highly suitable for nanoelectromechanical devices such as e.g. mass sensors,
high frequency resonators or memory elements. Although only atomically thick,
many of the mechanical properties of graphene membranes can be described by
classical continuum mechanics. An important parameter for predicting the
performance and linearity of graphene nanoelectromechanical devices as well as
for describing ripple formation and other properties such as electron
scattering mechanisms, is the bending rigidity, {\kappa}. In spite of the
importance of this parameter it has so far only been estimated indirectly for
monolayer graphene from the phonon spectrum of graphite, estimated from AFM
measurements or predicted from ab initio calculations or bond-order potential
models. Here, we employ a new approach to the experimental determination of
{\kappa} by exploiting the snap-through instability in pre-buckled graphene
membranes. We demonstrate the reproducible fabrication of convex buckled
graphene membranes by controlling the thermal stress during the fabrication
procedure and show the abrupt switching from convex to concave geometry that
occurs when electrostatic pressure is applied via an underlying gate electrode.
The bending rigidity of bilayer graphene membranes under ambient conditions was
determined to be eV. Monolayers have significantly lower
{\kappa} than bilayers
Quantum phase transition to unconventional multi-orbital superfluidity in optical lattices
Orbital physics plays a significant role for a vast number of important
phenomena in complex condensed matter systems such as high-T
superconductivity and unconventional magnetism. In contrast, phenomena in
superfluids -- especially in ultracold quantum gases -- are commonly well
described by the lowest orbital and a real order parameter. Here, we report on
the observation of a novel multi-orbital superfluid phase with a {\it complex}
order parameter in binary spin mixtures. In this unconventional superfluid, the
local phase angle of the complex order parameter is continuously twisted
between neighboring lattice sites. The nature of this twisted superfluid
quantum phase is an interaction-induced admixture of the p-orbital favored by
the graphene-like band structure of the hexagonal optical lattice used in the
experiment. We observe a second-order quantum phase transition between the
normal superfluid (NSF) and the twisted superfluid phase (TSF) which is
accompanied by a symmetry breaking in momentum space. The experimental results
are consistent with calculated phase diagrams and reveal fundamentally new
aspects of orbital superfluidity in quantum gas mixtures. Our studies might
bridge the gap between conventional superfluidity and complex phenomena of
orbital physics.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Topological semimetal in a fermionic optical lattice
Optical lattices play a versatile role in advancing our understanding of
correlated quantum matter. The recent implementation of orbital degrees of
freedom in chequerboard and hexagonal optical lattices opens up a new thrust
towards discovering novel quantum states of matter, which have no prior analogs
in solid state electronic materials. Here, we demonstrate that an exotic
topological semimetal emerges as a parity-protected gapless state in the
orbital bands of a two-dimensional fermionic optical lattice. The new quantum
state is characterized by a parabolic band-degeneracy point with Berry flux
, in sharp contrast to the flux of Dirac points as in graphene. We
prove that the appearance of this topological liquid is universal for all
lattices with D point group symmetry as long as orbitals with opposite
parities hybridize strongly with each other and the band degeneracy is
protected by odd parity. Turning on inter-particle repulsive interactions, the
system undergoes a phase transition to a topological insulator whose
experimental signature includes chiral gapless domain-wall modes, reminiscent
of quantum Hall edge states.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures and Supplementary Informatio
A transverse current rectification in graphene superlattice
A model for energy spectrum of superlattice on the base of graphene placed on
the striped dielectric substrate is proposed. A direct current component which
appears in that structure perpendicularly to pulling electric field under the
influence of elliptically polarized electromagnetic wave was derived. A
transverse current density dependence on pulling field magnitude and on
magnitude of component of elliptically polarized wave directed along the axis
of a superlattice is analyzed.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure
- …