Direct Mapping of the Finite Temperature Phase Diagram of Strongly Correlated Quantum Models

We propose a general method for obtaining the finite temperature phase diagram of strongly correlated quantum models emulated by optical lattice experiments using only the density profile of atoms in the trap. We illustrate the procedure explicitly for the Bose-Hubbard model by using exact quantum Monte Carlo simulations in a trap with up to 10(6) bosons. We show that kinks in the local compressibility, arising from critical fluctuations, demarcate the boundaries between superfluid and normal phases in the trap. The temperature of the bosons in the optical lattice is determined from the density profile at the edge. Our method can be applied to other phase transitions even when reliable numerical results are not available.