Travelling to exotic places with ultracold atoms

TL;DR

This paper explores innovative quantum phenomena with ultracold atoms, including phonon-like excitations called 'refractons' in optical lattices and the behavior of strongly correlated particles under complex magnetic fields.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of 'refracton' physics by integrating cavity QED with cold atoms and examines strongly correlated particles in non-Abelian magnetic fields.

Findings

Proposal for realizing 'refracton' physics in optical lattices.

Analysis of superfluid-Mott insulator phase transition with cavity mode effects.

Discussion of strongly correlated particles in non-Abelian magnetic fields.

Abstract

We review and speculate on two recent developments of quantum optics and ultracold atoms. First, we discuss a possible realization of "phonon" physics, or as we call it "refracton" physics with optical lattices. To this aim we combine the physics of cold atoms with cavity QED, and investigate superfluid-Mott insulator quantum phase transition. The systems can exhibit cavity mode modifications due to local changes of refraction index ("refractons"). Second, we discuss the physics of strongly correlated particles in Abelian, and more interestingly in non-Abelian magnetic fields, using cold atoms.