Analytical mean-field approach to the phase-diagram of ultracold bosons in optical superlattices

We report a multiple-site mean-field analysis of the zero-temperature phase diagram for ultracold bosons in realistic optical superlattices. The system of interacting bosons is described by a Bose-Hubbard model whose site-dependent parameters reflect the nontrivial periodicity of the optical superlattice. An analytic approach is formulated based on the analysis of the stability of a fixed-point of the map defined by the self-consistency condition inherent in the mean-field approximation. The experimentally relevant case of the period-2 one-dimensional superlattice is briefly discussed. In particular, it is shown that, for a special choice of the superlattice parameters, the half-filling insulator domain features an unusual loophole shape that the single-site mean-field approach fails to capture.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur

Complex phase-ordering of the one-dimensional Heisenberg model with conserved order parameter

We study the phase-ordering kinetics of the one-dimensional Heisenberg model with conserved order parameter, by means of scaling arguments and numerical simulations. We find a rich dynamical pattern with a regime characterized by two distinct growing lengths. Spins are found to be coplanar over regions of a typical size $L_V(t)$, while inside these regions smooth rotations associated to a smaller length $L_C(t)$ are observed. Two different and coexisting ordering mechanisms are associated to these lengths, leading to different growth laws $L_V(t)\sim t^{1/3}$ and $L_C(t)\sim t^{1/4}$ violating dynamical scaling.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures. To appear on Phys. Rev. E (2009

Strong-coupling expansions for the topologically inhomogeneous Bose-Hubbard model

We consider a Bose-Hubbard model with an arbitrary hopping term and provide the boundary of the insulating phase thereof in terms of third-order strong coupling perturbative expansions for the ground state energy. In the general case two previously unreported terms occur, arising from triangular loops and hopping inhomogeneities, respectively. Quite interestingly the latter involves the entire spectrum of the hopping matrix rather than its maximal eigenpair, like the remaining perturbative terms. We also show that hopping inhomogeneities produce a first order correction in the local density of bosons. Our results apply to ultracold bosons trapped in confining potentials with arbitrary topology, including the realistic case of optical superlattices with uneven hopping amplitudes. Significant examples are provided. Furthermore, our results can be extented to magnetically tuned transitions in Josephson junction arrays.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures,final versio

The inverse Mermin-Wagner theorem for classical spin models on graphs

In this letter we present the inversion of the Mermin-Wagner theorem on graphs, by proving the existence of spontaneous magnetization at finite temperature for classical spin models on transient on the average (TOA) graphs, i.e. graphs where a random walker returns to its starting point with an average probability $\bar F < 1$. This result, which is here proven for models with O(n) symmetry, includes as a particular case $n=1$, providing a very general condition for spontaneous symmetry breaking on inhomogeneous structures even for the Ising model.Comment: 4 Pages, to appear on PR

Ground-State Fidelity and Bipartite Entanglement in the Bose-Hubbard Model

We analyze the quantum phase transition in the Bose-Hubbard model borrowing two tools from quantum-information theory, i.e. the ground-state fidelity and entanglement measures. We consider systems at unitary filling comprising up to 50 sites and show for the first time that a finite-size scaling analysis of these quantities provides excellent estimates for the quantum critical point.We conclude that fidelity is particularly suited for revealing a quantum phase transition and pinning down the critical point thereof, while the success of entanglement measures depends on the mechanisms governing the transition.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures (endfloats used due to problems with figures and latex. Sorry about that); final version, similar to the published on

The Type-problem on the Average for random walks on graphs

When averages over all starting points are considered, the Type Problem for the recurrence or transience of a simple random walk on an inhomogeneous network in general differs from the usual "local" Type Problem. This difference leads to a new classification of inhomogeneous discrete structures in terms of {\it recurrence} and {\it transience} {\it on the average}, describing their large scale topology from a "statistical" point of view. In this paper we analyze this classification and the properties connected to it, showing how the average behavior affects the thermodynamic properties of statistical models on graphs.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures. to appear on EPJ

Rare events and scaling properties in field-induced anomalous dynamics

We show that, in a broad class of continuous time random walks (CTRW), a small external field can turn diffusion from standard into anomalous. We illustrate our findings in a CTRW with trapping, a prototype of subdiffusion in disordered and glassy materials, and in the L\'evy walk process, which describes superdiffusion within inhomogeneous media. For both models, in the presence of an external field, rare events induce a singular behavior in the originally Gaussian displacements distribution, giving rise to power-law tails. Remarkably, in the subdiffusive CTRW, the combined effect of highly fluctuating waiting times and of a drift yields a non-Gaussian distribution characterized by long spatial tails and strong anomalous superdiffusion.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure

Quantum signatures of self-trapping transition in attractive lattice bosons

We consider the Bose-Hubbard model describing attractive bosonic particles hopping across the sites of a translation-invariant lattice, and compare the relevant ground-state properties with those of the corresponding symmetry-breaking semiclassical nonlinear theory. The introduction of a suitable measure allows us to highlight many correspondences between the nonlinear theory and the inherently linear quantum theory, characterized by the well-known self-trapping phenomenon. In particular we demonstrate that the localization properties and bifurcation pattern of the semiclassical ground-state can be clearly recognized at the quantum level. Our analysis highlights a finite-number effect.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure

Scaling properties of field-induced superdiffusion in Continous Time Random Walks

We consider a broad class of Continuous Time Random Walks with large fluctuations effects in space and time distributions: a random walk with trapping, describing subdiffusion in disordered and glassy materials, and a L\'evy walk process, often used to model superdiffusive effects in inhomogeneous materials. We derive the scaling form of the probability distributions and the asymptotic properties of all its moments in the presence of a field by two powerful techniques, based on matching conditions and on the estimate of the contribution of rare events to power-law tails in a field.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures, Proceedings of the Conference "Small system nonequilibrium fluctuations, dynamics and stochastics, and anomalous behavior", KITPC, Beijing, Chin