Frustration in a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate introduced by an optical lattice

TL;DR

This paper investigates how applying a square optical lattice to a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate induces pattern formation and frustration, revealing complex ground states that differ from intrinsic symmetries and offering new insights into supersolidity.

Contribution

It demonstrates the emergence of frustrated states and symmetry-breaking in dipolar BECs under a square lattice, expanding understanding of supersolid behavior.

Findings

Lattice application causes spontaneous pattern formation.

Ground states can break intrinsic symmetries.

Frustration arises in certain parameter regimes.

Abstract

We study the application of a square perturbing lattice to the naturally forming hexagonal arrays of dipolar droplets in a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate. We find that the application of the lattice causes spontaneous pattern formation and leads to frustration in some regimes. For certain parameters, the ground state has neither the symmetry of the intrinsic hexagonal supersolid nor the symmetry of the square lattice. These results may give another axis on which to explore dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates and to probe the nature of supersolidity.