Magnetization plateaus for spin-one bosons in optical lattices: Stern-Gerlach experiments with strongly correlated atoms

Abstract

We consider insulating states of spin-one bosons in optical lattices in the presence of a weak magnetic field. For the states with more than one atom per lattice site we find a series of quantum phase transitions between states with fixed magnetization and a canted nematic phase. In the presence of a global confining potential, this unusual phase diagram leads to several novel phenomena, including formation of magnetization plateaus. We discuss how these effects can be observed using spatially resolved density measurements.