Waterlike anomalies on the Bose-Hubbard Model

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that the Bose-Hubbard model exhibits waterlike density anomalies linked to phase transitions, suggesting new avenues for studying liquid water phenomena using ultra-cold atom systems.

Contribution

It reveals waterlike anomalies in the Bose-Hubbard model due to ground state phase transitions, a novel insight connecting quantum models to fluid anomalies.

Findings

Density anomalies occur in the strongly localized limit.

Anomalies are connected to Mott insulator phase transitions.

Proposes experimental tests in ultra-cold atom setups.

Abstract

Although well-researched as a prototype Hamiltonian for strongly interacting quantum systems, the Bose-Hubbard model has not so far been explored as a fluid system with waterlike anomalies. In this work we show that this model supports, in the limit of a strongly localizing confining potential, density anomalies which can be traced back to ground state (zero-temperature) phase transitions between different Mott insulators. This key finding opens a new pathway for theoretical and experimental studies of liquid water and, in particular, we propose a test of our predictions that can be readily implemented in a ultra-cold atom platform.