Supersolidity around a Critical Point in Dipolar Bose-Einstein Condensates

Phys Rev Lett. 2019 Jul 3;123(1):015301. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.123.015301.

Abstract

We explore spatial symmetry breaking of a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate in the thermodynamic limit and reveal a critical point in the phase diagram at which crystallization occurs via a second-order phase transition. This behavior is traced back to the significant effects of quantum fluctuations in dipolar condensates, which moreover stabilize a new supersolid phase, namely a regular honeycomb pattern with high modulational contrast and near-perfect superfluidity.