Programmable order by disorder effect and underlying phases through dipolar quantum simulators

TL;DR

This paper explores how dipolar quantum simulators can demonstrate the quantum order by disorder effect and reveal various underlying phases, including stripe patterns and supersolids, through theoretical and numerical analysis.

Contribution

It introduces programmable quantum simulators using Rydberg atoms and dipolar gases to study order by disorder and complex phase diagrams in two-dimensional systems.

Findings

Degeneracy lifting favors stripe configurations even at strong coupling.

Various phases, including supersolids, are predicted in dipolar bosonic systems.

Quantum simulators can serve as benchmarks for studying complex quantum phases.

Abstract

In this work, we study two different quantum simulators composed of molecules with dipole-dipole interaction through various theoretical and numerical tools. Our first result provides knowledge upon the quantum order by disorder effect of the $S=1/2$ system, which is programmable in a quantum simulator composed of circular Rydberg atoms in the triangular optical lattice with a controllable diagonal anisotropy. When the numbers of up spins and down spins are equal, a set of sub-extensive degenerate ground states is present in the classical limit, composed of continuous strings whose configuration enjoys a large degree of freedom. Adopting the the real space perturbation theory, our calculation demonstrates a lifting of the degeneracy, favoring the stripe configuration. When $J$ becomes larger, we adopt the infinite projected entangled-pair state~(iPEPS) and numerically check the effect of degeneracy lifting. The iPEPS results show that even when the spin exchange coupling is strong the stripe pattern is still favored. Next, we study the dipolar bosonic model with tilted polar angle which can be realized through a quantum simulator composed of cold atomic gas with dipole-dipole interaction in an optical lattice. By placing the atoms in a triangular lattice and tilting the polar angle, the diagonal anisotropy can also be realized in the bosonic system. With our cluster mean-field theory calculation, we provide various phase diagrams with different tilted angles, showing the abundant underlying phases including the supersolid. Our proposal indicates realizable scenarios through quantum simulators in studying the quantum effect as well as extraordinary phases. We believe that our results indicated here can also become a good benchmark for the two-dimensional quantum simulators.