We propose a model for realizing exotic paired states in cold Fermi gases by using a spin-dependent optical lattice to engineer mismatched Fermi surfaces for each hyperfine species. The BCS phase diagram shows a stable paired superfluid state with coexisting pockets of momentum space with gapless unpaired carriers, similar to the Sarma state in polarized mixtures, but in our case the system is unpolarized. We propose the possible existence of an exotic "Cooper-pair Bose-metal" phase, which has a gap for single fermion excitations but gapless and uncondensed "Cooper-pair" excitations residing on a "Bose surface" in momentum space.
We propose a model for realizing exotic paired states in cold Fermi gases by using a spin-dependent optical lattice to engineer mismatched Fermi surfaces for each hyperfine species. The BCS phase diagram shows a stable paired superfluid state with coexisting pockets of momentum space with gapless unpaired carriers, similar to the Sarma state in polarized mixtures, but in our case the system is unpolarized. We propose the possible existence of an exotic "Cooper-pair Bose-metal" phase, which has a gap for single fermion excitations but gapless and uncondensed "Cooper-pair" excitations residing on a "Bose surface" in momentum space.
Fermions in two dimensions, when subject to anisotropic spin-dependent hopping, can potentially give rise to unusual paired states in unpolarized mixtures that can behave as non-Fermi liquids. One possibility is a fully paired state with a gap for fermion excitations in which the Cooper pairs remain uncondensed. Such a ``Cooper-pair Bose-metal'' phase would be expected to have a singular Bose surface in momentum space. As demonstrated in the context of two-dimensional bosons hopping with a frustrating ring-exchange interaction, an analogous Bose-metal phase has a set of quasi-one-dimensional descendant states when put on a ladder geometry. Here we present a density matrix renormalization group study of the attractive Hubbard model with spin-dependent hopping on a two-leg ladder geometry. In our setup, one spin species moves preferentially along the leg direction, while the other does so along the rung direction. We find compelling evidence for the existence of a novel Cooper-pair Bose-metal phase in a region of the phase diagram at intermediate coupling. We further explore the phase diagram of this model as a function of hopping anisotropy, density, and interaction strength, finding a conventional superfluid phase as well as a phase of paired Cooper pairs with d-wave symmetry, similar to the one found in models of hard-core bosons with ring exchange. We argue that simulating this model with cold Fermi gases on spin-dependent optical lattices is a promising direction for realizing exotic quantum states.
Similar to what has recently been achieved with Bose-Bose mixtures [G. Lamporesi, J. Catani, G. Barontini, Y. Nishida, M. Inguscio, and F. Minardi, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 153202 (2010)], mixed-dimensional Fermi-Fermi mixtures can be created by applying a species-selective one-dimensional optical lattice to a two-species Fermi gas ($\ensuremath{\sigma}\ensuremath{\equiv}{\ensuremath{\uparrow},\ensuremath{\downarrow}}$), in such a way that both species are confined to quasi--two-dimensional geometries determined by their hoppings along the lattice direction. We investigated the ground-state phase diagram of superfluidity for such mixtures in the BCS-BEC evolution, and found normal, gapped superfluid, gapless superfluid, and phase separated regions. In particular, we found a stable gapless superfluid phase where the unpaired $\ensuremath{\uparrow}$ and $\ensuremath{\downarrow}$ fermions coexist with the paired (or superfluid) ones in different momentum space regions. This phase is in some ways similar to the Sarma state found in mixtures with densities, but in our case, the gapless superfluid phase is unpolarized and most importantly it is stable against phase separation.
The study of non-Fermi liquids sheds light on unconventional phenomena in condensed matter systems that lie beyond the scope of Landau Fermi liquid theory. One intriguing example is the Bose metal, characterized by an uncondensed bosonic ground state. However, constructing a Bose metal phase in two dimensions (2D) remains a significant challenge.} Utilizing constraint path quantum Monte Carlo and functional renormalization group methods on a fermionic system with spin anisotropy in a 2D lattice, we reveal the emergence of a Cooper pair Bose metal (CPBM) phase in a highly anisotropic regime (α<0.30) with wide range of filling, as proposed in [A. E. Feiguin and M. P. A. Fisher, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 025303 (2009)]. Our findings exhibit a visible nonzero momentum Bose surface in the Cooper-pair distribution function, accompanied by a distinct signal of dxy correlation between pairs. Our results highlight that spin-dependent anisotropy in the Fermi surface leads to versatile pairing forms. Platforms such as ultracold atoms in optical lattices and recently proposed altermagnets hold promise for realizing this intriguing phase.
The study of non-Fermi liquids sheds light on unconventional phenomena in condensed matter systems that lie beyond the scope of Landau Fermi liquid theory. One intriguing example is the Bose metal, characterized by an uncondensed bosonic ground state. However, constructing a Bose metal phase in two dimensions (2D) remains a significant challenge. Utilizing constraint path quantum Monte Carlo and functional renormalization group methods on a fermionic system with spin anisotropy in a 2D lattice, we reveal the emergence of a Cooper pair Bose metal (CPBM) phase in a highly anisotropic regime ($\ensuremath{\alpha}<0.30$) with wide range of filling, as proposed in [A. E. Feiguin et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 025303 (2009)]. Our findings exhibit a visible nonzero momentum Bose surface in the Cooper-pair distribution function, accompanied by a distinct signal of dxy correlation between pairs. Our results highlight that spin-dependent anisotropy in the Fermi surface leads to versatile pairing forms. Platforms such as ultracold atoms in optical lattices and recently proposed altermagnets hold promise for realizing this intriguing phase.
The Cooper pair Bose metal (CPBM) is a non-superfluid quantum phase in which uncondensed fermion pairs form a "Bose surface" in momentum space. We investigate the CPBM in the two-dimensional spin-anisotropic attractive Hubbard model by tuning the next-nearest-neighbor (NNN) hopping t', carrier filling n, and spin anisotropy alpha, using large-scale constrained-path quantum Monte Carlo simulations. A moderate NNN hopping (t'/t = 0.2) substantially enlarges the CPBM region: the phase extends into weaker anisotropy regimes and coexists with a commensurate charge-density wave (CDW) near half-filling (n > 0.95), where CDW order would otherwise dominate at t' = 0. Interestingly, t' suppresses the overall CDW peak amplitude and introduces a geometric correlation between the orientations of the Fermi and Bose surfaces: for weak Fermi-surface rotations, the Bose surface remains aligned with the lattice axes, while larger distortions drive both surfaces to rotate in tandem. Momentum-resolved pairing distributions reveal that the bosonic pairing channels are jointly controlled by t' and carrier filling n. For small t', d_xy-wave correlations dominate across the entire filling range. In contrast, for larger t', the dominant pairing symmetry varies with n, reflecting a nontrivial interplay between frustration and density. These findings establish carrier filling and NNN hopping as complementary levers for manipulating CPBM stability and provide concrete criteria for identifying non-superfluid bosonic matter in cold-atom and correlated-electron systems.
The Cooper pair Bose metal (CPBM) is a nonsuperfluid quantum phase in which uncondensed fermion pairs form a ``Bose surface'' in momentum space. We investigate the CPBM in the two-dimensional spin-anisotropic attractive Hubbard model by tuning the next-nearest-neighbor (NNN) hopping ${t}^{\ensuremath{'}}$, carrier filling n, and spin anisotropy $\ensuremath{\alpha}$, using large-scale constrained-path quantum Monte Carlo simulations. A moderate NNN hopping ${t}^{\ensuremath{'}}/t=0.2$ substantially enlarges the CPBM region: the phase extends into weaker anisotropy regimes and coexists with a commensurate charge-density wave (CDW) near half-filling (n>0.95), where CDW order would otherwise dominate at ${t}^{\ensuremath{'}}=0$. Interestingly, ${t}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ suppresses the overall CDW peak amplitude and introduces a geometric correlation between the orientations of the Fermi and Bose surfaces: for weak Fermi-surface rotations, the Bose surface remains aligned with the lattice axes, while larger distortions drive both surfaces to rotate in tandem. Momentum-resolved pairing distributions reveal that the bosonic pairing channels are jointly controlled by ${t}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ and carrier filling n. For small ${t}^{\ensuremath{'}}$, dxy-wave correlations dominate across the entire filling range. In contrast, for larger ${t}^{\ensuremath{'}}$, the dominant pairing symmetry varies with n, reflecting a nontrivial interplay between frustration and density. These findings establish carrier filling and NNN hopping as complementary levers for manipulating CPBM stability and provide concrete criteria for identifying nonsuperfluid bosonic matter in cold-atom and correlated-electron systems.