Dynamic density-density correlations in interacting Bose gases on optical lattices

In order to identify possible experimental signatures of the superfluid to Mott-insulator quantum phase transition we calculate the charge structure factor $S(k,\omega)$ for the one-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model using the dynamical density-matrix renormalisation group (DDMRG) technique. Particularly we analyse the behaviour of $S(k, \omega)$ by varying---at zero temperature---the Coulomb interaction strength within the first Mott lobe. For strong interactions, in the Mott-insulator phase, we demonstrate that the DDMRG results are well reproduced by a strong-coupling expansion, just as the quasi-particle dispersion. In the superfluid phase we determine the linear excitation spectrum near $k=0$ and compare the DDMRG data with results from mean-field theory.