GROUND STATE ENTANGLEMENT IN 2D STRONGLY INTERACTING BOSE-HUBBARD-TYPE MODELS

Abstract

In this dissertation, I present my work on ground state entanglement in Bose-Hubbard-type models. Bose-Hubbard-type models form a wide class of bosonic lattice models and describe systems that can be realized by cold atoms or molecules trapped in optical lattices. By studying ground state entanglement, one can understand quantum phases and phase transitions among them from a microscopic point of view. I will first introduce the two-component Bose-Hubbard model describing Bose-Bose mixtures, and discuss the role played by the interspecies entanglement in the Mott-insulator-to-superfluid phase transition of one component in the presence of a second component. I will show that interspecies entanglement provides a new perspective to understand quantum phases in mixtures. Then I will discuss long-range spatial entanglement in single-species Bose-Hubbard-type models. Specifically, I will build a generic framework for understanding under which conditions these models harbor certain types of topological order. My results provide guidance for future numerical studies which can pave the way for searching experimentally realizable bosonic lattice models harboring nontrivial topological order.