Realizing time crystals in discrete quantum few-body systems

The exotic phenomenon of time translation symmetry breaking under periodic driving - the time crystal - has been shown to occur in many-body systems even in clean setups where disorder is absent. In this work, we propose the realization of time-crystals in few-body systems, both in the context of trapped cold atoms with strong interactions and of a circuit of superconducting qubits. We show how these two models can be treated in a fairly similar way by adopting an effective spin chain description, to which we apply a simple driving protocol. We focus on the response of the magnetization in the presence of imperfect pulses and interactions, and show how the results can be interpreted, in the cold atomic case, in the context of experiments with trapped bosons and fermions. Furthermore, we provide a set of realistic parameters for the implementation of the superconducting circuit.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Engineering entanglement Hamiltonians with strongly interacting cold atoms in optical traps

We present a proposal for the realization of entanglement Hamiltonians in one-dimensional critical spin systems with strongly interacting cold atoms. Our approach is based on the notion that the entanglement spectrum of such systems can be realized with a physical Hamiltonian containing a set of position-dependent couplings. We focus on reproducing the universal ratios of the entanglement spectrum for systems in two different geometries: a harmonic trap, which corresponds to a partition embedded in an infinite system, and a linear potential, which reproduces the properties of a half-partition with open boundary conditions. Our results demonstrate the possibility of measuring the entanglement spectra of the Heisenberg and XX models in a realistic cold-atom experimental setting by simply using gravity and standard trapping techniques.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure

Generation of spin currents by a temperature gradient in a two-terminal device

Theoretical and experimental studies of the interaction between spins and temperature are vital for the development of spin caloritronics, as they dictate the design of future devices. In this work, we propose a two-terminal cold-atom simulator to study that interaction. The proposed quantum simulator consists of strongly interacting atoms that occupy two temperature reservoirs connected by a one-dimensional link. First, we argue that the dynamics in the link can be described using an inhomogeneous Heisenberg spin chain whose couplings are defined by the local temperature. Second, we show the existence of a spin current in a system with a temperature difference by studying the dynamics that follows the spin-flip of an atom in the link. A temperature gradient accelerates the impurity in one direction more than in the other, leading to an overall spin current similar to the spin Seebeck effect.Comment: 33 pages, 6 figure

Flavour-selective localization in interacting lattice fermions

A large repulsion between particles in a quantum system can lead to their localization, an effect responsible for the Mott insulator phases in strongly correlated materials. In a system with multiple orbitals, an orbital-selective Mott insulator can form, where electrons in some orbitals are predicted to localize while others remain itinerant. Here we demonstrate a more general version of this phenomenon by observing flavour-selective localization in an atom-based quantum simulator. Our experiment realizes Fermi-Hubbard models with an SU(3) symmetry that can be broken using a tunable coupling between flavours. We observe an enhancement of the localization associated with a selective Mott transition and the emergence of flavour-dependent correlations. Our realization of flavour-selective Mott physics demonstrates the potential of cold atoms to simulate interacting multicomponent materials such as superconductors and topological insulators.A Mott insulator forms when strong interactions between particles cause them to become localized. A cold atom simulator has now been used to realize a selective Mott insulator in which atoms are localized or propagating depending on their spin state

Few-body Bose gases in low dimensions - A laboratory for quantum dynamics

Cold atomic gases have become a paradigmatic system for exploring fundamental physics, which at the same time allows for applications in quantum technologies. The accelerating developments in the field have led to a highly advanced set of engineering techniques that, for example, can tune interactions, shape the external geometry, select among a large set of atomic species with different properties, or control the number of atoms. In particular, it is possible to operate in lower dimensions and drive atomic systems into the strongly correlated regime. In this review, we discuss recent advances in few-body cold atom systems confined in low dimensions from a theoretical viewpoint. We mainly focus on bosonic systems in one dimension and provide an introduction to the static properties before we review the state-of-the-art research into quantum dynamical processes stimulated by the presence of correlations. Besides discussing the fundamental physical phenomena arising in these systems, we also provide an overview of the calculational and numerical tools and methods that are commonly used, thus delivering a balanced and comprehensive overview of the field. We conclude by giving an outlook on possible future directions that are interesting to explore in these correlated systems