Spin-Orbit Driven Transitions Between Mott Insulators and Finite Momentum Superfluids of Bosons in Optical Lattices

TL;DR

This paper explores how strong spin-orbit coupling in ultracold bosonic gases can induce direct transitions from Mott insulators to novel superfluid phases with finite momentum, revealing complex phase patterns observable via experimental imaging.

Contribution

It demonstrates that spin-orbit coupling can generate phase-modulated superfluids with finite momentum, providing new insights into quantum phase transitions in optical lattices.

Findings

Spin-orbit coupling induces direct Mott insulator to superfluid transitions.

Discovery of phase-modulated superfluids with finite momentum.

Potential for experimental detection via time-of-flight imaging.

Abstract

Synthetic spin-orbit coupling in ultracold atomic gases can be taken to extremes rarely found in solids. We study a two dimensional Hubbard model of bosons in an optical lattice in the presence of spin-orbit coupling strong enough to drive direct transitions from Mott insulators to superfluids. Here we find phase-modulated superfluids with finite momentum that are generated entirely by spin-orbit coupling. We investigate the rich phase patterns of the superfluids, which may be directly probed using time-of-flight imaging of the spin-dependent momentum distribution.