Phase diagram of the Fermi–Hubbard model with spin-dependent external potentials: A DMRG study**Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11374266 and 11174253) and the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University, China.

Abstract

We investigate a one-dimensional two-component system in an optical lattice of attractive interactions under a spin-dependent external potential. Based on the density-matrix renormalization group methods, we obtain its phase diagram as a function of the external potential imbalance and the strength of the attractive interaction through the analysis on the density profiles and the momentum pair correlation functions. We find that there are three different phases in the system, a coexisted fully polarized and Fulde–Ferrell–Larkin–Ovchinnikov (FFLO) phase, a normal polarized phase, and a Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) phase. Different from the systems of spin-independent external potential, where the FFLO phase is normally favored by the attractive interactions, in the present situation, the FFLO phases are easily destroyed by the attractive interactions, leading to the normal polarized or the BCS phase.