2012/06/30 by Vladimir M. Stojanovic, Tao Shi, C. Bruder +1 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #cond-mat.quant-gas #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.109.250501
published as Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 250501 (2012) · accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Lett
arxiv created 2012/11/19 · arxiv updated 2012/12/18
We propose a quantum simulation of small-polaron physics using a one-dimensional system of trapped ions acted upon by off-resonant standing waves. This system, envisioned as an array of microtraps, in the single-excitation case allows the realization of the anti-adiabatic regime of the Holstein model. We show that the strong excitation-phonon coupling regime, characterized by the formation of small polarons, can be reached using realistic values of the relevant system parameters. Finally, we propose measurements of the quasiparticle residue and the average number of phonons in the ground state, experimental probes validating the polaronic character of the phonon-dressed excitation.