Strongly-Interacting Bosons in a Two-Dimensional Quasicrystal Lattice

TL;DR

This paper explores the phase diagram of strongly interacting bosons in a 2D quasicrystal lattice, revealing superfluid, Bose glass, and Mott insulator phases, with implications for experimental observation of exotic quantum states.

Contribution

It provides the first large-scale quantum Monte Carlo study of strongly interacting bosons in a 2D quasicrystal, identifying phase transitions and novel Mott phases.

Findings

Demonstrates a superfluid-to-Bose glass transition

Identifies Mott insulator phases with broken symmetry

Provides critical lines for phase transitions

Abstract

Quasicrystals exhibit exotic properties inherited from the self-similarity of their long-range ordered, yet aperiodic, structure. The recent realization of optical quasicrystal lattices paves the way to the study of correlated Bose fluids in such structures, but the regime of strong interactions remains largely unexplored, both theoretically and experimentally. Here, we determine the quantum phase diagram of two-dimensional correlated bosons in an eightfold quasicrystal potential. Using large-scale quantum Monte Carlo calculations, we demonstrate a superfluid-to-Bose glass transition and determine the critical line. Moreover, we show that strong interactions stabilize Mott insulator phases, some of which have spontaneously broken eightfold symmetry. Our results are directly relevant to current generation experiments and, in particular, drive prospects to the observation of the still elusive Bose glass phase in two dimensions and exotic Mott phases.