Effective tight-binding models in optical moiré potentials

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Johnstone, Dean, Mishra, Shanya, Zhu, Zhaoxuan, Sanchez-Palencia, Laurent
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Johnstone, Dean
Mishra, Shanya
Zhu, Zhaoxuan
Sanchez-Palencia, Laurent
author_facet Johnstone, Dean
Mishra, Shanya
Zhu, Zhaoxuan
Sanchez-Palencia, Laurent
contents A twist between two systems offers the possibility to drastically change the underlying physical properties. To that end, we study the bandstructure of twisted moiré potentials in detail. At sets of commensurate twisting angles, the low energy single-particle spectrum of a twisted moiré potential will form into distinct bands and gaps. To a first approximation, energy bands can be qualitatively modelled by harmonic states, localised in different potential minima. The bands are intrinsically linked to the number of distinct minima and size of the moiré unit cell, with smaller cells producing larger gaps and vice versa. For shallower potential depths, degeneracies between harmonic states are lifted by virtue of anharmonic confinement and coupling between states. Depending on the exact geometry of potential minima, bands can then be classified by $4$ unique forms of tight-binding models. We find excellent agreement between the continuous spectrum and fitting to our tight-binding models, allowing for accurate tunnelling rates and onsite energies to be extracted. Our results are directly relevant to the bosonic, many-body problem, and thus provide further understanding on the relative stability of quantum phases both in theory and experiments. In particular, the prominence of gaps can be mapped to strongly correlated insulating phases. Furthermore, tunnelling rates of different bands serve as thresholds on temperature in which a phase can be either a normal fluid or superfluid.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2410_21371
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Effective tight-binding models in optical moiré potentials
Johnstone, Dean
Mishra, Shanya
Zhu, Zhaoxuan
Sanchez-Palencia, Laurent
Quantum Gases
Strongly Correlated Electrons
A twist between two systems offers the possibility to drastically change the underlying physical properties. To that end, we study the bandstructure of twisted moiré potentials in detail. At sets of commensurate twisting angles, the low energy single-particle spectrum of a twisted moiré potential will form into distinct bands and gaps. To a first approximation, energy bands can be qualitatively modelled by harmonic states, localised in different potential minima. The bands are intrinsically linked to the number of distinct minima and size of the moiré unit cell, with smaller cells producing larger gaps and vice versa. For shallower potential depths, degeneracies between harmonic states are lifted by virtue of anharmonic confinement and coupling between states. Depending on the exact geometry of potential minima, bands can then be classified by $4$ unique forms of tight-binding models. We find excellent agreement between the continuous spectrum and fitting to our tight-binding models, allowing for accurate tunnelling rates and onsite energies to be extracted. Our results are directly relevant to the bosonic, many-body problem, and thus provide further understanding on the relative stability of quantum phases both in theory and experiments. In particular, the prominence of gaps can be mapped to strongly correlated insulating phases. Furthermore, tunnelling rates of different bands serve as thresholds on temperature in which a phase can be either a normal fluid or superfluid.
title Effective tight-binding models in optical moiré potentials
topic Quantum Gases
Strongly Correlated Electrons
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.21371