Cold atoms in a rotating optical lattice with nearest-neighbor interactions

Extended Bose-Hubbard models with nearest-neighbor interaction describe minimally the effect of long-range interaction on ultracold atoms in deep optical lattices. The rotation of such optical lattices subjects such neutral cold atoms to the effect of an artificial magnetic field. The modification of the phase boundaries of the density-wave and Mott-insulator phases due to this rotation are shown to be related to the edge spectrum of spinorial and scalar Harper equations. Corresponding profiles of the checkerboard vortex states with sublattice modulated superfluid order parameter near the density-wave phase boundary are calculated.