Supersolid vortex crystals in Rydberg-dressed Bose-Einstein condensates

Phys Rev Lett. 2012 Jun 29;108(26):265301. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.265301. Epub 2012 Jun 26.

Abstract

We study rotating quasi-two-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensates, in which atoms are dressed to a highly excited Rydberg state. This leads to weak effective interactions that induce a transition to a mesoscopic supersolid state. Considering slow rotation, we determine its superfluidity using quantum Monte Carlo simulations as well as mean field calculations. For rapid rotation, the latter reveal an interesting competition between the supersolid crystal structure and the rotation-induced vortex lattice that gives rise to new phases, including arrays of mesoscopic vortex crystals.