Abstract
Using cold bosonic atoms with two (hyperfine) ground states, we introduce a spin-boson mixture that allows one to implement the quantum Ising model in a tunable dissipative environment. The first specie lies in a deep optical lattice with tightly confining wells and forms a spin array; spin-up (spin-down) corresponds to occupation by one (no) atom at each site. The second specie forms a superfluid reservoir. Different species are coupled coherently via laser transitions and collisions. Whereas the laser coupling mimics a transverse field for the spins, the coupling to the reservoir sound modes induces a ferromagnetic (Ising) coupling as well as dissipation. This gives rise to an order-disorder quantum phase transition where the effect of dissipation can be studied in a controllable manner.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 051601 |
Journal | Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics |
Volume | 77 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 22 2008 |