Rotation of Quantum Impurities in the Presence of a Many-Body Environment

Phys Rev Lett. 2015 May 22;114(20):203001. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.203001. Epub 2015 May 18.

Abstract

We develop a microscopic theory describing a quantum impurity whose rotational degree of freedom is coupled to a many-particle bath. We approach the problem by introducing the concept of an "angulon"-a quantum rotor dressed by a quantum field-and reveal its quasiparticle properties using a combination of variational and diagrammatic techniques. Our theory predicts renormalization of the impurity rotational structure, such as that observed in experiments with molecules in superfluid helium droplets, in terms of a rotational Lamb shift induced by the many-particle environment. Furthermore, we discover a rich many-body-induced fine structure, emerging in rotational spectra due to a redistribution of angular momentum within the quantum many-body system.