Identifying strongly correlated supersolid states on the optical lattice by quench-induced π-states

We consider the rapid quench of a one-dimensional strongly correlated supersolid to a localized density wave (checkerboard) phase, and calculate the first-order coherence signal following the quench. It is shown that unique coherence oscillations between the even and odd sublattice sites of the checkerboard are created by the quench, which are absent when the initial state is described by a Gutzwiller product state. This is a striking manifestation of the versatility of the far-from-equilbrium and nonperturbative collapse and revival phenomenon as a microscope for quantum correlations in complex many-body states. For the present example, this opens up the possibility to discriminate experimentally between mean-field and many-body origins of supersolidity.