Abstract
We study the persistent current in a system of SU(N) fermions with repulsive interaction, confined in a ring-shaped potential and pierced by an effective magnetic flux. Several surprising effects emerge. As a combined result of spin correlations, (effective) magnetic flux and interaction, spinons can be created in the ground state such that the elementary flux quantum can change its nature. The persistent current landscape is affected dramatically by these changes. In particular, it displays a universal behaviour. Despite its mesoscopic character, the persistent current is able to detect a quantum phase transition (from metallic to Mott phases). Most of, if not all, our results could be experimentally probed within the state-of-the-art quantum technology, with neutral matter-wave circuits providing a particularly relevant platform for our work.
Highlights
Quantum technology intertwines basic research in quantum physics and technology to an unprecedented degree: different quantum systems, manipulated and controlled from the macroscopic spatial scale down to individual or atomic level, can be platforms for quantum devices and simulators with refined capabilities; on the other hand, the acquired technology prompts new studies of fundamental aspects of quantum science with an enhanced precision and sensitivity
We study the persistent current in a system of SU(N) fermions with repulsive interaction, confined in a ring-shaped potential and pierced by an effective magnetic flux
Monitoring the numerical results for the spectrum of the system with the exact Bethe ansatz analysis [20], we find that as the effective magnetic flux increases, spinon excitations can be created in the ground state
Summary
Quantum technology intertwines basic research in quantum physics and technology to an unprecedented degree: different quantum systems, manipulated and controlled from the macroscopic spatial scale down to individual or atomic level, can be platforms for quantum devices and simulators with refined capabilities; on the other hand, the acquired technology prompts new studies of fundamental aspects of quantum science with an enhanced precision and sensitivity. Interacting fermions with N spin components, as provided by alkaline-earth and ytterbium cold atomic gases, are highly non-trivial multicomponent quantum systems [3, 4]. This feature effectively enlarges the symmetry of the systems to the SU(N ) one Such a feature makes cold alkaline-earth atoms, especially with lattice confinements, an ideal platform to study exotic quantum matter, including higher spin magnetism, spin liquids and topological matter [14,15,16] and, beyond condensed matter physics, in QCD [17]. Monitoring the numerical results for the spectrum of the system with the exact Bethe ansatz analysis [20], we find that as the effective magnetic flux increases, spinon excitations can be created in the ground state Such a remarkable phenomenon occurs as a specific ‘screening’ of the external flux, which being a continuously adjustable quantity, can be compensated by spinons excitations (quantized in nature) only partially. The onset to the gapped phase progressively hinders the spinon creation phenomenon
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