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arXiv:0904.3477 · Physical Review A

Feshbach resonant scattering of three fermions in one-dimensional wells

Tanja Đurić, A. F. Ho, Derek K. K. Lee

Published Sep 15, 2009• 0 citations
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Abstract

We calculate the spectrum for three atoms in a one-dimensional harmonic well near an $s$-wave Feshbach resonance using a two-channel model to describe the Feshbach physics. This is relevant to the study of cold $^{40}\text{K}$ atoms trapped in a one-dimensional optical lattice. Our results indicate that, for this one-dimensional system, one- and two-channel models will differ close to the Feshbach resonance, although the two theories would converge in the limit of strong Feshbach coupling. We also find level crossings in the low-energy spectrum of a single well with three atoms that may lead to quantum phase transition for an optical lattice of many wells. We discuss the stability of the system to a phase with nonuniform density.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.80.033611

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In this dissertation, we develop simple single-band effective Hamiltonians for a fermionic gas across a Feshbach resonance in both a quasi-low-dimensional optical trap and a three-dimensional optical lattice. The proper theoretical description of these systems is nontrivial due to the multiband nature of the dimers which form in the ground state of the strongly interacting gas. For the quasi-low-dimensional case, we show that the ground state of the gas has a significant population in the excited levels of the transverse trap. Hence, the effective low-dimensional (single-band) Hamiltonian must include the effects of this real population frozen in many transverse modes. We accomplish this through the definition of a "dressed molecule" state which incorporates the excited fraction. For the three-dimensional case, a valid single-band lattice model at first seems impossible for strong interactions. However, we find effective single-band lattice models that remain valid by subtly accounting for the nontrivial structure of the on-site dimer. We perform explicit numerical calculations for two fermions in a double-well to demonstrate the range of validity of the models and their parameter values. In the process of investigation leading to these models we find other interesting results such as a ground state level crossing for three fermions in a single well and a set of Feshbach resonances induced by anharmonicity of the optical potential. The ultracold neutral atom experiments related to the work presented within provide a flexible and well-controlled tool to observe aspects of quantum physics not easily accessible or controllable in other systems. The combination of optical lattice trapping techniques with the ability to manipulate the interactions via a Feshbach resonance allows for the study of novel strongly correlated physics. This work addresses an important and fundamentally interesting issue for these systems and serves as a proper starting point for further theoretical studies in conjunction with experiment.
We create molecules from fermionic atoms in a three-dimensional optical lattice using a Feshbach resonance. In the limit of low tunneling, the individual wells can be regarded as independent three-dimensional harmonic oscillators. The measured binding energies for varying scattering length agree excellently with the theoretical prediction for two interacting atoms in a harmonic oscillator. We demonstrate that the formation of molecules can be used to measure the occupancy of the lattice and perform thermometry.
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We study a spin-polarized degenerate Fermi gas interacting via a p-wave Feshbach resonance in an optical lattice. The strong confinement available in this system allows us to realize one- and two-dimensional gases and, therefore, to restrict the asymptotic scattering states of atomic collisions. When aligning the atomic spins along (or perpendicular to) the axis of motion in a one-dimensional gas, scattering into channels with the projection of the angular momentum of /m/ = 1 (or m = 0) can be inhibited. In two and three dimensions, we observe the doublet structure of the p-wave Feshbach resonance. For both the one-dimensional and the two-dimensional gases, we find a shift of the position of the resonance with increasing confinement due to the change in collisional energy. In a three-dimensional optical lattice, the losses on the Feshbach resonance are completely suppressed.
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