During the last decade, many exciting phenomena have been experimentally observed and theoretically predicted for ultracold atoms in optical lattices. This paper reviews these rapid developments concentrating mainly on the theory. Different types of the bosonic systems in homogeneous lattices of different dimensions as well as in the presence of harmonic traps are considered. An overview of the theoretical methods used for these investigations as well as of the obtained results is given. Available experimental techniques are presented and discussed in connection with theoretical considerations. Eigenstates of the interacting bosons in homogeneous lattices and in the presence of harmonic confinement are analyzed. Their knowledge is essential for understanding of quantum phase transitions at zero and finite temperature.

The superfluid--Mott-insulator phase transition of ultracold spin-1 bosons with ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions in an optical lattice is theoretically investigated. Two counterpropagating linearly polarized laser beams with the angle $\theta$ between the polarization vectors (lin-$\theta$-lin configuration), driving an $F_g=1$ to $F_e=1$ internal atomic transition, create the optical lattice and at the same time couple atomic ground states with magnetic quantum numbers $m=\pm 1$. Due to the coupling the system can be described as a two-component one. At $\theta=0$ the system has a continuous isospin symmetry, which can be spontaneously broken, thereby fixing the number of particles in the atomic components. The phase diagram of the system and the spectrum of collective excitations, which are density waves and isospin waves, are worked out. In the case of ferromagnetic interactions, the superfluid--Mott-insulator phase transition is always second order, but in the case of antiferromagnetic interactions for some values of system parameters it is first order and the superfluid and Mott phases can coexist. Varying the angle $\theta$ one can control the populations of atomic components and continuously turn on and tune their asymmetry

Bosons in a periodic lattice with on-site disorder at low but non-zero temperature are considered within a mean-field theory. The criteria used for the definition of the superfluid, Mott insulator and Bose glass are analysed. Since the compressibility does never vanish at non-zero temperature, it can not be used as a general criterium. We show that the phases are unambiguously distinguished by the superfluid density and the density of states of the low-energy exitations. The phase diagram of the system is calculated. It is shown that even a tiny temperature leads to a significant shift of the boundary between the Bose glass and superfluid.Submitted to: New J. Phys.

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The dynamics of the collective excitations of a lattice Bose gas at zero temperature is systematically investigated using the time-dependent Gutzwiller mean-field approach. The excitation modes are determined within the framework of the linear-response theory as solutions of the generalized Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations valid in the superfluid and Mott-insulator phases at arbitrary values of parameters. The expression for the sound velocity derived in this approach coincides with the hydrodynamic relation. We calculate the transition amplitudes for the excitations in the Bragg scattering process and show that the higher excitation modes give significant contributions. We simulate the dynamics of the density perturbations and show that their propagation velocity in the limit of week perturbation is satisfactorily described by the predictions of the linear-response analysis.