Abstract

We show that transverse phonons in a set of trapped ions under the action of lasers are described by an interacting boson model whose parameters can be externally adjusted. If the radial trapping frequency is large enough, the system is described by a Bose–Hubbard model, in which hopping of the phonons between different ions is provided by the Coulomb interaction. On the other hand, the non-linear terms in the interaction of the ions with a standing-wave provide us with the phonon–phonon interaction. We investigate the possibility of observing several quantum many—body phenomena, including (quasi)Bose–Einstein Condensation as well as a superfluid-Mott insulator quantum phase transition