Stabilizing the false vacuum: Mott skyrmions

• DOI: 10.1038/srep07692
• Publication Date: 2015-01-13T10:35:14Z
• Authors: M. Kanász-Nagy; B. Dóra; E. A. Demler; G. Zaránd
• Keywords: Skyrmion; Topological defect; Lattice (music)

Topological excitations keep fascinating physicists since many decades. While individual vortices and solitons emerge have been observed in areas of physics, their most intriguing higher dimensional topological relatives, skyrmions (smooth, topologically stable textures) magnetic monopoles -- emerging almost necessarily any grand unified theory responsible for charge quantization remained mostly elusive. Here we propose that loading a three-component nematic superfluid such as $^{23}$Na into deep optical lattice thereby creating an insulating core, one can create skyrmion textures investigate properties detail. We show furthermore the spectrum quantum numbers change dramatically presence skyrmion, they reflect trapped monopole, imposed by skyrmion's topology.