Supersolid droplet crystal in a dipole-blockaded gas

Phys Rev Lett. 2010 Sep 24;105(13):135301. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.135301. Epub 2010 Sep 21.

Abstract

A novel supersolid phase is predicted for an ensemble of Rydberg atoms in the dipole-blockade regime, interacting via a repulsive dipolar potential softened at short distances. Using exact numerical techniques, we study the low-temperature phase diagram of this system, and observe an intriguing phase consisting of a crystal of mesoscopic superfluid droplets. At low temperature, phase coherence throughout the whole system, and the ensuing bulk superfluidity, are established through tunnelling of identical particles between neighboring droplets.