Burkov, A. A.Demler, Eugene2016-08-242006Burkov, A. A., and Eugene Demler. 2006. “Vortex-Peierls States in Optical Lattices.” Physical Review Letters 96 (18) (May 10). doi:10.1103/physrevlett.96.180406.0031-9007http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:27896448We show that vortices, induced in cold atom superfluids in optical lattices, may order in a novel vortexPeierls ground state. In such a state vortices do not form a simple lattice but arrange themselves in clusters, within which the vortices are partially delocalized, tunneling between classically degenerate configurations. We demonstrate that this exotic quantum many-body state is selected by an order-from-disorder mechanism for a special combination of the vortex filling and lattice geometry that has a macroscopic number of classically degenerate ground states.en-USJournal Article2016-08-2410.1103/PhysRevLett.96.180406