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From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding
Published on: March 24, 2018
Probing the Bond Order Wave Phase Transitions of the Ionic Hubbard Model by Superlattice Modulation Spectroscopy
Karla Loida1, Jean-Sébastien Bernier1, Roberta Citro2
1HISKP, University of Bonn, Nussallee 14-16, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
Abstract:
An exotic phase, the bond order wave, characterized by the spontaneous dimerization of the hopping, has been predicted to exist sandwiched between the band and Mott insulators in systems described by the ionic Hubbard model. Despite growing theoretical evidence, this phase still evades experimental detection. Given the recent realization of the ionic Hubbard model in ultracold atomic gases, we propose here to detect the bond order wave using superlattice modulation spectroscopy. We demonstrate, with the help of time-dependent density-matrix renormalization group and bosonization, that this spectroscopic approach reveals characteristics of both the Ising and Kosterlitz-Thouless transitions signaling the presence of the bond order wave phase. This scheme also provides insights into the excitation spectra of both the band and Mott insulators.
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Ionic Bonds
When atoms gain or lose electrons to achieve a more stable electron configuration they form ions. Ionic bonds are electrostatic attractions between ions with opposite charges. Ionic compounds are rigid and brittle when solid and may dissociate into their constituent ions in water. Covalent compounds, by contrast, remain intact unless a chemical reaction breaks them.
Opposing Charges Hold Ions Together in Ionic Compounds
Ionic bonds are reversible electrostatic interactions between ions...
Phase Transitions
Ionic Bonding and Electron Transfer
Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation
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Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition

