Fermi Gases In Optical Lattices Research Articles

Exotic Superfluid Phases in Spin-Polarized Fermi Gases in Optical Lattices.

Leveraging cutting-edge numerical methodologies, we study the ground state of the two-dimensional spin-polarized Fermi gas in an optical lattice. We focus on systems at high density and small spin polarization, corresponding to the parameter regime believed to be most favorable to the formation of the elusive Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) superfluid phase. Our systematic study of large lattice sizes, hosting nearly 500 atoms, provides strong evidence of the stability of the FFLO state in this regime, as well as a high-accuracy characterization of its properties. Our results for the density correlation function reveal the existence of density order in the system, suggesting the possibility of an intricate coexistence of long-range orders in the ground state. The ground-state properties are seen to differ significantly from the standard mean-field description, providing a compelling avenue for future theoretical and experimental explorations of the interplay between spin imbalance, strong interactions, and superfluidity in an exotic phase of matter.

Topological Lifshitz transitions, orbital currents, and interactions in low-dimensional Fermi gases in synthetic gauge fields

Low-dimensional systems of interacting fermions in a synthetic gauge field have been experimentally realized using two-component ultra-cold Fermi gases in optical lattices. Using a two-leg ladder model that is relevant to these experiments, we have studied the signatures of topological Lifshitz transitions and the effects of the inter-species interaction U on the gauge-invariant orbital current in the regime of large intra-leg hopping Ω. Focusing on non-insulating regimes, we have carried out numerically exact density-matrix renormalization-group (DMRG) calculations to compute the orbital current at fixed particle number as a function of the interaction strength and the synthetic gauge flux per plaquette. Signatures of topological Lifshitz transitions where the number Fermi points changes are found to persist even in the presence of very strong repulsive interactions. This numerical observation suggests that the orbital current can be computed from an appropriately renormalized mean-field band structure, which is also described here. Quantitative agreement between the mean-field and the DMRG results in the intermediate interaction regime where U ≲ Ω is demonstrated. We also have observed that interactions can change the sign of the current susceptibility at zero field and induce Lifshitz transitions between two metallic phases, which is also captured by the mean-field theory. Correlation effects beyond mean-field theory in the oscillations of the local inter-leg current are also reported. We argue that the observed robustness against interactions makes the orbital current a good indicator of the topological Lifshitz transitions.

Dynamics of Bose-Einstein Condensates Subject to the Pöschl-Teller Potential through Numerical and Variational Solutions of the Gross-Pitaevskii Equation.

We present for the first time an approach about Bose–Einstein condensates made up of atoms with attractive interatomic interactions confined to the Pöschl–Teller hyperbolic potential. In this paper, we consider a Bose–Einstein condensate confined in a cigar-shaped, and it was modeled by the mean field equation known as the Gross–Pitaevskii equation. An analytical (variational method) and numerical (two-step Crank–Nicolson) approach is proposed to study the proposed model of interatomic interaction. The solutions of the one-dimensional Gross–Pitaevskii equation obtained in this paper confirmed, from a theoretical point of view, the possibility of the Pöschl–Teller potential to confine Bose–Einstein condensates. The chemical potential as a function of the depth of the Pöschl–Teller potential showed a behavior very similar to the cases of Bose–Einstein condensates and superfluid Fermi gases in optical lattices and optical superlattices. The results presented in this paper can open the way for several applications in atomic and molecular physics, solid state physics, condensed matter physics, and material sciences.

Density functional theory versus quantum Monte Carlo simulations of Fermi gases in the optical-lattice arena

We benchmark the ground state energies and the density profiles of atomic repulsive Fermi gases in optical lattices computed via Density Functional Theory (DFT) against the results of diffusion Monte Carlo (DMC) simulations. The main focus is on a half-filled one-dimensional optical lattices, for which the DMC simulations performed within the fixed-node approach provide unbiased results. This allows us to demonstrate that the local spin-density approximation (LSDA) to the exchange-correlation functional of DFT is very accurate in the weak and intermediate interactions regime, and also to underline its limitations close to the strongly-interacting Tonks-Girardeau limit and in very deep optical lattices. We also consider a three dimensional optical lattice at quarter filling, showing also in this case the high accuracy of the LSDA in the moderate interaction regime. The one-dimensional data provided in this study may represent a useful benchmark to further develop DFT methods beyond the LSDA and they will hopefully motivate experimental studies to accurately measure the equation of state of Fermi gases in higher-dimensional geometries.

一类Fermi气体光晶格非线性机制的轨线研究

A nonlinear disturbed model for a class of Fermi gases in optical lattices was investigated. Firstly, in the nondisturbed case, the exact solution of the model path curves of Fermi gases in optical lattices was given. Secondly, the generalized functional analysis homotopic mapping was introduced and an iterative system was constructed, the arbitrary order asymptotic solution to the nonlinear disturbed model for the path curves of Fermi gases in optical lattices was obtained. Finally, a nonlinear small disturbance system was studied. With the proposed method, the asymptotic expressions of the path curves can be conveniently formulated and further extended.

Quantum measurement-induced antiferromagnetic order and density modulations in ultracold Fermi gases in optical lattices.

Ultracold atomic systems offer a unique tool for understanding behavior of matter in the quantum degenerate regime, promising studies of a vast range of phenomena covering many disciplines from condensed matter to quantum information and particle physics. Coupling these systems to quantized light fields opens further possibilities of observing delicate effects typical of quantum optics in the context of strongly correlated systems. Measurement backaction is one of the most funda- mental manifestations of quantum mechanics and it is at the core of many famous quantum optics experiments. Here we show that quantum backaction of weak measurement can be used for tailoring long-range correlations of ultracold fermions, realizing quantum states with spatial modulations of the density and magnetization, thus overcoming usual requirement for a strong interatomic interactions. We propose detection schemes for implementing antiferromagnetic states and density waves. We demonstrate that such long-range correlations cannot be realized with local addressing, and they are a consequence of the competition between global but spatially structured backaction of weak quantum measurement and unitary dynamics of fermions.

Dynamics of Hubbard-band quasiparticles in disordered optical lattices

Quantum degenerate gases trapped in optical lattices are ideal testbeds for fundamental physics because these systems are tunable, well characterized, and isolated from the environment. Controlled disorder can be introduced to explore suppression of quantum diffusion in the absence of conventional dephasing mechanisms such as phonons, which are unavoidable in experiments on electronic solids. Recent experiments use transport of degenerate Fermi gases in optical lattices (Kondov et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 083002 (2015)) to probe a particularly extreme regime of strong interaction in what can be modeled as an Anderson-Hubbard model. These experiments find evidence for an intriguing insulating phase where quantum diffusion is completely suppressed by strong disorder. Quantitative interpretation of these experiments remains an open problem that requires inclusion of non-zero entropy, strong interaction, and trapping. We argue that the suppression of transport can be thought of as localization of Hubbard-band quasiparticles. We construct a theory of transport of Hubbard-band quasiparticles tailored to trapped optical lattice experiments. We compare the theory directly with center-of-mass transport experiments of Kondov et al. with no fitting parameters. The close agreement between theory and experiments shows that the suppression of transport is only partly due to finite entropy effects. We argue that the complete suppression of transport is consistent with Anderson localization of Hubbard-band quasiparticles. The combination of our theoretical framework and optical lattice experiments offers an important platform for studying localization in isolated many-body quantum systems.

Intertwined orders from symmetry projected wavefunctions of repulsively interacting Fermi gases in optical lattices

Unconventional strongly correlated phases of the repulsive Fermi–Hubbard model, which could be emulated by ultracold vapors loaded in optical lattices, are investigated by means of energy minimizations with quantum number projection before variation and without any assumed order parameter. Using a tube-like geometry of optical plaquettes to realize the four-leg ladder Hubbard Hamiltonian, we highlight the intertwining of spin-, charge-, and pair-density waves embedded in a uniform d-wave superfluid background. As the lattice filling increases, this phase emerges from homogenous states exhibiting spiral magnetism and evolves towards a doped antiferromagnet. A concomitant enhancement of long-ranged d-wave pairing correlations is also found. Numerical tests of the approach for two-dimensional clusters are carried out, too.

Predicting energies of small clusters from the inhomogeneous unitary Fermi gas

We investigate the inhomogeneous unitary Fermi gas and use the long-wavelength properties to predict the energies of small clusters of unitary fermions trapped in harmonic potentials. The large pairing gap and scale invariance place severe restrictions on the form of the density functional. We determine the relevant universal constants needed to constrain the functional from calculations of the bulk in oscillating external potentials. Comparing with exact Quantum Monte Carlo calculations, we find that the same functional correctly predicts the lack of shell closures for small clusters of fermions trapped in harmonic wells as well as their absolute energies. A rapid convergence to the bulk limit in three dimensions, where the surface to volume ratio is quite large, is demonstrated. The resulting functional can be tested experimentally, and is a key ingredient in predicting possible polarized superfluid phases and the properties of the unitary Fermi gas in optical lattices.

Erratum: Quantum Phases of Quadrupolar Fermi Gases in Optical Lattices [Phys. Rev. Lett.110, 155301 (2013)

Received 20 November 2013DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.239901© 2013 American Physical Society

Quantum phases of quadrupolar Fermi gases in optical lattices.

We introduce a new platform for quantum simulation of many-body systems based on nonspherical atoms or molecules with zero dipole moments but possessing a significant value of electric quadrupole moments. We consider a quadrupolar Fermi gas trapped in a 2D square optical lattice, and show that the peculiar symmetry and broad tunability of the quadrupole-quadrupole interaction results in a rich phase diagram encompassing unconventional BCS and charge density wave phases, and opens up a perspective to create a topological superfluid. Quadrupolar species, such as metastable alkaline-earth atoms and homonuclear molecules, are stable against chemical reactions and collapse and are readily available in experiment at high densities.

Self-trapping and periodic modulation of Fermi gases in optical lattices

The change of phase space and periodic modulation of Fermi gas from the BCS to unitarity is investigated in one-dimensional optical lattice. Through controlling the scattering length and coupling constant in unitarity, we find the critical values (from the Josephson oscillation to the oscillating-phase-type self-trapping and from the latter to the self-trapping), at the same time, we also find the relationship between the critical coupling constants and the scattering length.

Anisotropic Ginzburg-Landau and Lawrence-Doniach models for layered ultracold Fermi gases

We derive and study the anisotropic Ginzburg-Landau and Lawrence-Doniach models describing a layered superfluid ultracold Fermi gas in optical lattices. We compute from the microscopic model the Josephson couplings entering the Lawrence-Doniach model across the crossover BCS-BEC passing from the 3D isotropic case to the quasi-2D one, showing that a model with only nearest-neighbor Josephson couplings is not adequate at the unitary limit (since the pairs have a diameter larger than the interlayer distance). We also show that the effective anisotropy of the system is strongly reduced at the unitary limit. Finally, we obtain a relation between the interlayer Josephson couplings and the Ginzburg-Landau masses: we find that using only couplings between adjacent planes is correct in the BEC side, while at the unitary limit one has to use also next-nearest-neighboring couplings.

Inducing spin-dependent tunneling to probe magnetic correlations in optical lattices

We suggest a simple experimental method for probing antiferromagnetic spin correlations of two-component Fermi gases in optical lattices. The method relies on a spin selective Raman transition to excite atoms of one spin species to their first excited vibrational mode where the tunneling is large. The resulting difference in the tunneling dynamics of the two spin species can then be exploited, to reveal the spin correlations by measuring the number of doubly occupied lattice sites at a later time. We perform quantum Monte Carlo simulations of the spin system and solve the optical lattice dynamics numerically to show how the timed probe can be used to identify antiferromagnetic spin correlations in optical lattices.

Detecting the Elusive Larkin-Ovchinnikov Modulated Superfluid Phases for Imbalanced Fermi Gases in Optical Lattices

A system with unequal populations of up and down fermions may exhibit a Larkin-Ovchinnikov (LO) phase consisting of a periodic arrangement of domain walls where the order parameter changes sign and the excess polarization is localized. We find that the LO phase has a much larger range of stability in a lattice compared to the continuum; in a harmonic trap, the LO phase may involve 80% of the atoms in the trap, and can exist up to an entropy s approximately 0.5k(B) per fermion. We discuss detection of the LO phase (i) in real space by phase-contrast imaging of the periodic excess polarization; (ii) in k space by time-of-flight imaging of the single-particle and pair-momentum distributions; (iii) in energy space from the excess density of states within the gap arising from Andreev bound states in the domain walls.

Bloch band and Bloch waves of superfluid Fermi gases in optical lattices

Bloch band and stabilities of Bloch waves of superfluid Fermi gases in one-dimensional (1D) periodic optical lattices are discussed. Within the hydrodynamical theory and the two-mode approximation, the Bloch band structure, the energetic and dynamical instabilities of Bloch waves at the first Brilliouin zone are presented. The results show that, when the atom density is beyond a critical value, a loop structure in the Bloch band at the zone edge is developed along the BEC-BCS crossover. The Bloch band structure and the stabilities of Bloch waves are modified dramatically when the system crosses from the BEC side to the BCS side, and they can be adjusted to the required characteristics by changing the atom's interaction (with the Feshbach resonance technique), the atom density, and the lattice parameters. The analytical expressions of the critical atom density for exciting the loop structure and maintaining the stabilities of Bloch waves are obtained.

The ground state solutions of superfluid Fermi gas in optical lattices

The ground state solutions of superfluid Fermi gas in optical lattices are studied by means of the balance condition between the lattices potential and inter-atomic interaction energy. We derive the atoms density distribution, the atoms number and the energy of the ground state along the entire BEC-BCS crossover. It is shown that, the properties of the ground state present very different characters as the system transits from the BEC side to the BCS side.

Sound waves and dynamics of superfluid Fermi gases in optical lattices

The sound waves, the stability of Bloch waves, the Bloch oscillation, and the self-trapping phenomenon in interacting two-component Fermi gases throughout the BEC-BCS crossover in one-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D), and three-dimensional (3D) optical lattices are discussed in detail. Within the hydrodynamical theory and by using the perturbative and tight-binding approximation, sound speed in both weak and tight 1D, 2D, 3D optical lattices, and the criteria for occurrences of instability of Bloch waves and self-trapping of Fermi gases along the whole BEC-BCS crossover in tight 1D, 2D, 3D optical lattices are obtained analytically. The results show that the sound speed, the criteria for occurrences of instability of Bloch waves and self-trapping, and the destruction of Bloch oscillation are modified dramatically by the lattice parameters (lattice dimension and lattice strength), the atom density or atom number, and the atom interaction.

Superfluid density of the ultra-cold Fermi gas in optical lattices

In this paper, we study the superfluid density of the two-component Fermi gas in optical lattices with population imbalance. Three different types of phases, the BCS state (Bardeen, Cooper and Schrieffer), the FFLO state (Fulde, Ferrel, Larkin and Ovchinnikov) and the Sarma state, are considered. We show that the FFLO superfluid density differs from the BCS/Sarma superfluid density in an important way. Although there are dynamical instabilities in the FFLO phase, when the interaction is strong or densities are high, the FFLO phase is found to be stable on the weak coupling limit.

Induced Interactions for Ultracold Fermi Gases in Optical Lattices

We investigate the effect of optical lattices on the BCS superfluidity by using the Gorkov-Melik-Barkhudarov (GMB) correction for a two-component Fermi gas. We find that the suppression of the order parameter is strongly enhanced by the lattice effects. The predictions made by the GMB corrections are in qualitative and, for the cases studied, quantitative agreement with previous quantum Monte Carlo results. We discuss how the GMB correction extends the validity of the mean-field theory to a wider range of tunable optical lattice systems in different dimensions.