Quantum Phases from Competing Van der Waals and Dipole-Dipole Interactions of Rydberg Atoms

20 November 2023

Photo: AG Schmelcher

The interplay of short- and long-range interactions are responsible for diverse phenomena having significance across various domains in science. For instance, short-range Van der Waals interactions help stabilizing the interior structure of proteins whereas dipole-dipole interactions influence the overall folding procedure as well as interactions with other molecules. Exotic quantum phases with competing orders arise from coexistence of short- and long-range interactions in many-body systems. However, the study of these phenomena in their natural setting is challenging due to the limited control and the finite temperature environments. This has led to a rapid growth in the use of ultracold systems for quantum simulation of many-body problems. The unprecedented control achieved in these platforms over the system parameters has facilitated probing physical scenarios that are impossible if not difficult to achieve in conventional solid-state systems.

In this work, we consider an alternative approach to study many-body physics emerging from the combined effects of short- and long-range interactions by using Rydberg atoms with both Van der Waals and dipole-dipole interactions. We study the ground state phase diagram in one-dimensional lattices with uniform and dimerized configurations. In the uniform configuration, we reveal the
flexibility in accessing different regimes of the ordered and liquid phases. The competition between the interactions leads to having competing boundaries between the gapless Luttinger liquid and the gapped density-wave phases. In the dimerized configuration, apart from realizing the individual phases of bond-order and density-wave, we obtain bond-order-density-wave phases that exhibit bond and density-wave orders simultaneously. Finally, we discuss the experimental feasibility of realizing such phases.

Publication

Z. Zeybek, R. Mukherjee and P. Schmelcher

"Quantum phases from competing Van der Waals and dipole-dipole interactions of Rydberg atoms"

Physical Review Letters 131, 203003 (2023)