Quantum Simulation of Cooperative Jahn-Teller Systems with Linear Ion Crystals

TL;DR

This paper proposes a method to simulate the many-body Jahn-Teller effect using linear ion crystals, revealing a quantum phase transition and formation of a spin-phonon quasi-condensate.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework for quantum simulation of Jahn-Teller systems with ion crystals under magnetic field gradients, highlighting a phase transition and emergent phenomena.

Findings

Observation of a quantum magnetic structural phase transition

Reordering of particle positions in ion chains

Formation of a spin-phonon quasi-condensate

Abstract

The Jahn-Teller effect explains distortions and non-degenerate energy levels in molecular and solid-state physics via a coupling of effective spins to collective bosons. Here we propose and theoretically analyze the quantum simulation of a many-body Jahn-Teller model with linear ion crystals subjected to magnetic field gradients. We show that the system undergoes a quantum magnetic structural phase transition which leads to a reordering of particle positions and the formation of a spin-phonon quasi-condensate in mesoscopic ion chains.