Quantum simulation. Two-dimensional superexchange-mediated magnetization dynamics in an optical lattice.
The interplay of magnetic exchange interactions and tunneling underlies many complex quantum phenomena observed in real materials. We study nonequilibrium magnetization dynamics in an extended two-dimensional (2D) system by loading effective spin-1/2 bosons into a spin-dependent optical lattice and use the lattice to separately control the resonance conditions for tunneling and superexchange. After preparing a nonequilibrium antiferromagnetically ordered state, we observe relaxation dynamics governed by two well-separated rates, which scale with the parameters associated with superexchange and tunneling. With tunneling off-resonantly suppressed, we observe superexchange-dominated dynamics over two orders of magnitude in magnetic coupling strength. Our experiment will serve as a benchmark for future theoretical work as the detailed dynamics of this 2D, strongly correlated, and far-from-equilibrium quantum system remain out of reach of current computational techniques.
Joint Quantum Institute, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and University of Maryland, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA.
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Brown
Joint Quantum Institute, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and University of Maryland, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA.
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Wyllie
Joint Quantum Institute, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and University of Maryland, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA.
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Koller
Joint Quantum Institute, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and University of Maryland, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA.
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Goldschmidt
Joint Quantum Institute, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and University of Maryland, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA.
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Foss-Feig
Joint Quantum Institute, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and University of Maryland, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA. porto@jqi.umd.edu.
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Porto