arXiv:0910.1803 · Physical Review Letters
π Phases in Balanced Fermionic Superfluids on Spin-Dependent Optical Lattices
Ivar Zapata, Bernhard Wünsch, Nikolaj Thomas Zinner, Eugene Demler
Abstract
We study a balanced two-component system of ultracold fermions in one dimension with attractive interactions and subject to a spin-dependent optical lattice potential of opposite sign for the two components. We find states with different types of modulated pairing order parameters which are conceptually similar to π phases discussed for superconductor-ferromagnet heterostructures. Increasing the lattice depth induces sharp transitions between states of different parity. While the origin of the order parameter oscillations is similar to the Fulde-Ferrel-Larkin-Ovchinnikov phase for paired states with spin imbalance, the current system is intrinsically stable to phase separation. We discuss experimental requirements for creating and probing these novel phases.