We study interacting dipolar atomic bosons in a triple-well potential within a ring geometry. This system is shown to be equivalent to a three-site Bose-Hubbard model. We analyze the ground state of dipolar bosons by varying the effective on-site interaction. This analysis is performed both numerically and analytically by using suitable coherent-state representations of the ground state. The latter exhibits a variety of forms ranging from the SU(3) coherent state in the delocalization regime to a macroscopic catlike state with fully localized populations, passing for a coexistence regime where the ground state displays a mixed character. We characterize the quantum correlations of the ground state from the bipartition perspective. We calculate both numerically and analytically (within the previous coherent-state representation) the single-site entanglement entropy which, among various interesting properties, exhibits a maximum value in correspondence to the transition from the catlike to the coexistence regime. In the latter case, we show that the ground-state mixed form corresponds, semiclassically, to an energy exhibiting two almost-degenerate minima.

• Received 3 April 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.87.053620