Quantum simulation of frustrated magnetism in triangular optical lattices

TL;DR

This paper reports the first large-scale quantum simulation of frustrated magnetism in a triangular optical lattice, enabling exploration of complex magnetic phases and quantum phenomena at accessible temperatures.

Contribution

It introduces a novel quantum simulator using atomic motional degrees of freedom to study frustrated magnetism with tunable couplings in a triangular lattice.

Findings

Observation of Néel order and spin frustration at Bose-Einstein-condensate temperatures

Detection of spontaneous symmetry breaking due to frustration

Identification of superfluid phases with non-trivial long-range order

Abstract

Magnetism plays a key role in modern technology as essential building block of many devices used in daily life. Rich future prospects connected to spintronics, next generation storage devices or superconductivity make it a highly dynamical field of research. Despite those ongoing efforts, the many-body dynamics of complex magnetism is far from being well understood on a fundamental level. Especially the study of geometrically frustrated configurations is challenging both theoretically and experimentally. Here we present the first realization of a large scale quantum simulator for magnetism including frustration. We use the motional degrees of freedom of atoms to comprehensively simulate a magnetic system in a triangular lattice. Via a specific modulation of the optical lattice, we can tune the couplings in different directions independently, even from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic. A major advantage of our approach is that standard Bose-Einstein-condensate temperatures are sufficient to observe magnetic phenomena like N\'eel order and spin frustration. We are able to study a very rich phase diagram and even to observe spontaneous symmetry breaking caused by frustration. In addition, the quantum states realized in our spin simulator are yet unobserved superfluid phases with non-trivial long-range order and staggered circulating plaquette currents, which break time reversal symmetry. These findings open the route towards highly debated phases like spin-liquids and the study of the dynamics of quantum phase transitions.