Department of Physics

Cavendish Laboratory

Hubbard Models for Quasicrystalline Potentials

Emmanuel Gottlob, Ulrich Schneider

@CaMBQD
www.manybody.phy.cam.ac.uk
emg69@cam.ac.uk
 Optical Quasicrystal for ultracold atoms
𝑉 (𝑥 , 𝑦 )
4𝑉0

⃗
𝑘

Position
−

⃗
𝑘 𝑥

𝑘⃗ +¿ ¿

0
𝑉 ( 𝑥 , 𝑦 )=𝑉 0 ∑ sin (𝑘⃗ 𝑖 ¿⃗𝑟 +𝜙𝑖 )¿
2

𝑖=1: 4 Position

Ultracold atoms are placed at the center of the beams

 8-fold optical potential [1] K. Viebahn et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 122,110404 (2019)
Tunable quantum simulator for quasiperiodic condensed matter [2] M. Sbroscia et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 200604 (2020)
 Some quasicrystal facts
• non-periodic lattices with long-range order
• Forbidden rotational symmetries for
periodic lattices

Natural decagonal Al71Ni24Fe5 quasicrystal,

(found in a meteorite!)
P. J. Steinhardt, Sci. Reports 5 (2015) 9111
 Some quasicrystal facts
• non-periodic lattices with long-range order
• Forbidden rotational symmetries for
periodic lattices
• Middle-ground between ordered and
disordered materials
• Exhibit Anderson Localisation
• Expected to host exotic Many-Body phases:
• Bose Glass
• Many-Body Localisation
• Bloch’s theorem is not applicable!
Bilayer graphene dodecagonal quasicrystal
S. J. Ahn, Science, Vol 361, Issue 6404,
pp. 782-786
 Hubbard Model for the Optical Quasicrystal

𝑉 (𝑥 , 𝑦 )
4𝑉0
Position y

0
Position

• Definition of lattice sites?

• Wannier functions without Bloch
Theorem
• Each site is unique…
Hubbard Model for the Optical Quasicrystal
a On-site energies 𝜖 𝑖 ( 𝐸 𝑟𝑒𝑐)

xx

z lattice
Hubbard Model for the Optical Quasicrystal
a On-site energies 𝜖 𝑖 ( 𝐸 𝑟𝑒𝑐) b On-site interaction 𝑈 𝑖 ( 𝐸 𝑟𝑒𝑐 )

xx

z lattice
Hubbard Model for the Optical Quasicrystal
a On-site energies 𝜖 𝑖 ( 𝐸 𝑟𝑒𝑐) b On-site interaction 𝑈 𝑖 ( 𝐸 𝑟𝑒𝑐 ) c 𝐽 𝑖 𝑗(
Tunneling amplitudes 𝐸 𝑟𝑒𝑐 )

z lattice
Classifying the lattice sites
Φ Φ

⃗
𝑘 − Φ
⃗
𝑘 𝑥

Position y
𝑘⃗ +¿ ¿

𝑉 ( 𝑥 , 𝑦 )=𝑉 0 ∑ sin (𝑘⃗ 𝑖 ¿⃗𝑟 +𝜙𝑖 )¿

2
Φ
𝑖=1: 4

Position
Classifying the lattice sites

Φ
Φ

Φ Φ
Φ

Φ Φ=𝟎

𝜆/2 𝜋 /2
 Classifying the lattice sites
Important properties

1. Similar vector  similar sites

Φ 2. Each lattice site has a unique vector!
Φ
3. Infinite size limit: octagon is densely and
uniformly populated
4. Periodic boundary conditions: topology
of a 2-hole torus
Φ Φ
Φ Consequences
5. The QC contains a continuous
distribution of lattice sites
6. The QC never contains duplicates!
7. We can re-express the Hubbard
Φ Φ=𝟎 Hamiltonian in terms of the vectors
𝜖 𝑖 →𝜖 ( 𝚽 𝒊) 𝑈 𝑖 →𝑈 ( 𝚽𝑖 ) 𝐽 𝑖𝑗 → 𝐽 ( 𝚽𝑖 , 𝚽 𝑗 )

𝜆/2 𝜋 /2
 Hubbard Model in Config Space
On-siteenergies
On-site energies 𝜖 𝑖 ( 𝐸 𝑟𝑒𝑐)

Φ
Φ 𝜖 ( 𝚽i ) ( 𝐸𝑟𝑒𝑐 )

Φ Φ
Φ

𝑦
Φ

Φ
Φ Φ=𝟎 𝑥

𝜆/2 𝜋 /2 𝜖 ( 𝚽 ) ≈ Δ0 + Δ ∑
𝑖 =1: 4
sin
2
( 𝒌𝑖
2𝜋
∙𝚽 )
 Hubbard Model in Config Space
On-siteOn-site
interaction
i 𝑈 𝑖 (𝐸 𝑟𝑒𝑐 )
Φ U
Φ

Φ Φ
Φ

𝑦
Φ

Φ
Φ Φ=𝟎 𝑥

𝜆/2 𝜋 /2
 Hubbard Model in Config Space
Total Tunneling amplitudes
Tunneling amplitudes 𝐽 𝑖𝑗 (𝐸 𝑟𝑒𝑐)
Φ
Φ
𝐽 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 ( 𝚽i ) ( 𝐸𝑟𝑒𝑐 )

Φ Φ
Φ

𝑦
Φ

Φ
Φ Φ=𝟎 𝑥

𝜆/2 𝜋 /2
Hubbard Model in Config Space
On-site energy On-site interaction On-site energy On-site interaction

𝑦
Φ
Φ

𝑦
Φ

Φ
𝑥
𝑥

Tunneling amplitude Tunneling amplitude

Re-labelling

𝑦
Φ
Φ
𝑥
 On-site energy On-site interaction

QC in the atomic limit ()

𝑦
Φ
Φ

𝑦
Φ

Φ
𝑥
𝑥

Upper band

Ground state energy

z lattice
 On-site energy On-site interaction

QC in the atomic limit ()

𝑦
Φ
Φ

𝑦
Φ

Φ
𝑥
𝑥

Upper band

Ground state energy

𝜖 +𝑈

z lattice
 On-site energy On-site interaction

QC in the atomic limit ()

𝑦
Φ
Φ

𝑦
Φ

Φ
𝑥
𝑥

Upper band

Ground state energy

𝜖 +2 𝑈

𝜖 +𝑈

z lattice
 On-site energy On-site interaction

QC in the atomic limit ()

𝑦
Φ
Φ

𝑦
Φ

Φ
𝑥
𝑥

Upper band

Ground state energy

𝜖 +3 𝑈

𝜖 +2 𝑈

𝜖 +𝑈

z lattice
QC in the atomic limit ()

Upper band

z lattice
QC in the atomic limit ()
Atom number per site
Upper band

z lattice
QC in the atomic limit ()
Atom number per site
Upper band

𝑦 ( 𝜆)
z lattice
QC in the atomic limit ()
Atom number per site
Upper band

𝑦 ( 𝜆)
z lattice
QC in the atomic limit ()
Atom number per site
Upper band

𝑦 ( 𝜆)
z lattice
QC in the atomic limit (J=0)
Atom number per site
Upper band

𝑦 ( 𝜆)
Not Incompressible!
z lattice
QC in the atomic limit ()
Atom number per site

Upper band

𝜖 +𝑈

𝜇
Energy

Incompressible!

Φ 𝑥 ( 𝜆) z lattice
QC in the atomic limit ()
Atom number per site

Upper band
𝜇
𝜖 +𝑈

s
Energy

Incompressible!

Φ 𝑥 ( 𝜆) z lattice
 + Dan Borgnia, Robert-Jan Slager

Config space and topological quantities?

• Slow modulation of the phases: adiabatic displacement in configuration space
• We can define connections and curvature?:

• Then integrate over config space: topological invariant

• Do they mean anything? Φ Φ

Φ
⃗
𝑘 −

Position y
⃗
𝑘 𝑥

𝑘⃗ +¿ ¿ Φ

𝑉 ( 𝑥 , 𝑦 )=𝑉 0 ∑ sin2 (𝑘⃗ 𝑖 ¿⃗𝑟 +𝜙𝑖 )¿

𝑖=1: 4 Position
Take-Home
On-site energy On-site interaction
• Quasicrystals  No Brillouin zone
• In configuration space, sites are ordered
according to their shapes and local
surroundings

𝑦
Φ
Φ
• Aperiodic analog of the Brillouin zone

𝑦
Φ

Φ
𝑥
𝑥

Tunneling amplitude
• Densely populated octagon with periodic
boundaries
• Hubbard Hamiltonian takes a simpler
expression in config space!
• We can use it to make conclusions about

𝑦
Φ
Φ
𝑥

thermodynamic limit
• Possible use for computing topological
invariants
Neighbours in config space

Position y

⃗𝑖
𝑒

Position