Orbital ordering and frustration of $p$-band Mott-insulators

Abstract

We investigate the general structure of orbital exchange physics in Mott-insulating states of $p$-orbital systems in optical lattices. Orbital orders occur in both the triangular and Kagome lattices. In contrast, orbital exchange in the honeycomb lattice is frustrated as described by a novel quantum 120$^\circ$-model. Its classical ground states are mapped into configurations of the fully-packed loop model with an extra U(1) rotation degree of freedom. Quantum orbital fluctuations select a six-site plaquette ground state ordering pattern in the semiclassical limit from the ``order from disorder'' mechanism. This effect arises from the appearance of a zero energy flat-band of orbital excitations.