Quantum Rabi Model in a Superfluid Bose-Einstein Condensate

We propose a quantum simulation of the quantum Rabi model in an atomic quantum dot, which is a single atom in a tight optical trap coupled to the quasiparticle modes of a superfluid Bose-Einstein condensate. This widely tunable setup allows us to simulate the ultrastrong coupling regime of light-matter interaction in a system which enjoys an amenable characteristic time scale, paving the way for an experimental analysis of the transition between the Jaynes-Cummings and the quantum Rabi dynamics using cold-atom systems. Our scheme can be naturally extended to simulate multiqubit quantum Rabi models. In particular, we discuss the appearance of effective two-qubit interactions due to phononic exchange, among other features. © 2017 American Physical Society.