Quantum phases of bosonic chiral molecules in helicity lattices

TL;DR

This paper explores novel quantum phases of chiral molecules in optical helicity lattices, showing how strong dipolar interactions can separate enantiomers into distinct phases, advancing understanding of chiral quantum matter.

Contribution

It introduces an extended Bose-Hubbard model for chiral molecules in helicity lattices and demonstrates phase separation driven by dipolar interactions.

Findings

Strong dipolar repulsion causes enantiomer separation.

Polarizing quantum phases emerge in chiral molecule lattices.

Helicity lattices influence chiral molecule behavior significantly.

Abstract

We reveal the existence of polarizing quantum phases for the enantiomers of cold, interacting chiral molecules in an optical helicity lattice by means of an extended Bose-Hubbard model. These recently proposed lattices have sites with alternating helicity which exert a discriminatory force on chiral molecules with different handedness. In our study of the phase diagram we find that a strong dipolar repulsion between molecules results in the separation of left and right enantiomers.