Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1401.1586 · Physical Review A

Strongly fluctuating fermionic superfluid in the attractive π -flux Hubbard model

Ya-Jie Wu, Jiang Zhou, Su-Peng Kou

Published Jan 22, 2014• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Ultracold atoms in an optical lattice provide a platform for realization of the superfluid (SF) state, a quantum order with paired charge-neutral fermions. In this paper, we study the SF state in the two-dimensional attractive Hubbard model with $\ensuremath{\pi}$ flux on each plaquette. The SF state in the $\ensuremath{\pi}$-flux lattice model suffers very strong quantum fluctuations and the ground state becomes a possible quantum phase liquid state. In this phase, there exists Cooper pairing together with a finite energy gap for the atoms, but no long-range SF phase coherence exists at zero temperature. In addition, we discuss the properties of the SF vortices.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.89.013619

Related papers

Two-dimensional fermionic superfluids, pairing instability, and vortex liquids in the absence of time reversal symmetry

Predrag Nikolić

We consider a generic two-dimensional system of fermionic particles with attractive interactions and no disorder. If time reversal symmetry is absent, it is possible to obtain incompressible insulating states in addition to the superfluid at zero temperature. The superfluid-insulator phase transition is found to be second order in type-II systems using a perturbative analysis of Cooper pairing instability in quantum Hall states of unpaired fermions. We obtain the pairing phase diagram as a function of chemical potential (density) and temperature. However, a more careful analysis presented here reveals that the pairing quantum phase transition is always preempted by another transition into a strongly correlated normal state which retains Cooper pairing and cannot be smoothly connected to the quantum Hall state of unpaired fermions. Such a normal phase can be qualitatively viewed as a liquid of vortices, although it may acquire conventional broken symmetries. Even if it did not survive at finite temperatures its influence would be felt through strong quantum fluctuations below a crossover temperature scale. These conclusions directly apply to fermionic ultracold-atom systems near unitarity, but are likely relevant for the properties of other strongly correlated superfluids as well, including high-temperature superconductors.

arXiv:0901.2576•Physical Review B•Apr 7, 2009•7 citations

Competing pairing states for ultracold fermions in optical lattices with an artificial staggered magnetic field

Lih-King Lim, Achilleas Lazarides, Andreas Hemmerich +1 more

We study fermionic superfluidity in an ultracold Bose-Fermi mixture loaded into a square optical lattice subjected to a staggered flux. While the bosons form a Bose-Einstein condensate at very low temperature and weak interaction, the interacting fermions experience an additional long-ranged attractive interaction mediated by phonons in the bosonic condensate. This leads us to consider a generalized Hubbard model with on-site and nearest-neighbor attractive interactions, which give rise to two competing pairing channels. We use the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory to determine the regimes where distinct fermionic superfluids are stabilized and find that the nonlocal pairing channel favors a superfluid state which breaks both the gauge and the lattice symmetries, similar to unconventional superconductivity occurring in some strongly correlated systems. Furthermore, the particular structure of the single-particle spectrum leads to unexpected consequences, for example, a dome-shaped superfluid region in the temperature versus filing fraction phase diagram, with a normal phase that contains much richer physics than a Fermi liquid. Notably, the relevant temperature regime and coupling strength are readily accessible in state of the art experiments with ultracold trapped atoms.

arXiv:1002.4423•Physical Review A•Jul 14, 2010•17 citations

Fermions with attractive interactions on optical lattices and implications for correlated systems

Chih-Chun Chien, Qijin Chen, Kathryn Levin

In this paper we address the behavior of the superfluid transition temperature ${T}_{c}$ in the attractive Hubbard model. The attractive Hubbard model can be regarded as the generalization of the BCS to Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) crossover to a lattice and, as such, may have implications for future optical lattice studies. Nevertheless, the BEC limit of the Hubbard model is very different from that of the better-studied Fermi gases, owing to the strong intersite repulsion between pairs. Here we address systematically the effects of pairing fluctuations for all filling fractions over the entire range of attractive interaction strength. A central conclusion of our work is that in a lattice, around half filling, the smooth evolution from the BCS to the BEC limits is interrupted: ${T}_{c}$ vanishes when the system approaches the bosonic regime with increasing interaction strength. We suggest that this interruption of crossover may signal a quantum critical transition to another form of superfluid not continuously connected to a BCS-like phase. A simple variational ansatz for an alternate ground state in this more strongly coupled superfluid is presented. A generalization of the ($s$-wave) Hubbard model to $d$-wave pairing allows us to address issues of relevance to high-${T}_{c}$ superconductivity. The phase diagram (representing the pairing or pseudogap onset temperature ${T}^{*}$ and ${T}_{c}$) shows that here too one observes a vanishing of ${T}_{c}$ when ${T}^{*}$ becomes sufficiently large. Given this predicted breakdown of the crossover, and given the striking similarity to features of the cuprate phase diagram, we suggest that future experiments on ultracold fermions in optical lattices should not be exclusively limited to the repulsive Hubbard model, but should address the attractive model in order to elucidate features of high-temperature superconductivity.

arXiv:0808.1900•Physical Review A•Oct 23, 2008•19 citations

Thermally Fluctuating Inhomogeneous Superfluid State of Strongly Interacting Fermions in an Optical Lattice

Viveka Nand Singh, Sanjoy Datta, Pinaki Majumdar

The presence of attractive interaction between fermions can lead to pairing and superfluidity in an optical lattice. The temperature needed to observe superfluidity is about a tenth of the tunneling energy in the optical lattice, and currently beyond experimental reach. However, at strong coupling the precursors to global superfluidity should be visible at achievable temperatures, in terms of fluctuating domains with strong pairing correlations. We explore this regime of the attractive two dimensional fermion Hubbard model, in the presence of a confining potential, using a new Monte Carlo technique. We capture the low temperature inhomogeneous superfluid state with its unusual spectral signatures but mainly focus on the experimentally accessible intermediate temperature state. In this regime, and for the trap center density we consider, there is a large pairing amplitude at the center, spatially correlated into domains extending over several lattice spacings. We map out the thermal evolution of the local density, the double occupancy, the pairing correlations, and the momentum distribution function across this phase fluctuation window.

arXiv:1104.4912•Apr 26, 2011•0 citations

Strong Correlation Effects with Ultracold Bosonic Atoms in Optical Lattices

Immanuel Bloch

Ultracold atoms in optical lattices have proven to be a versatile model system in which strong correlation effects in a many-body quantum system can be studied [1]. The tunability and control over almost all underlying system parameters makes them rather unique and allows one to switch between different ground states of the underlying many-body quantum system. One of the most prominent effects in this respect is the quantum phase transition (QPT) from a superfluid (SF) to a Mott insulator (MI) that started the field of strong-correlation physics with ultracold gases. First theoretically proposed by Fisher et al. [2], the Bose-Hubbard model (BHM) was introduced into the field of ultracold atoms by Jaksch et al. [3], eventually being realized in subsequent experiments [4-7]. This article focuses on giving a brief summary of the main results achieved in the SF-MI transition with ultracold bosons in optical lattices. A brief introduction into the setup of optical lattices is followed by a discussion of key results such as the coherence properties, the density profiles, transport properties and SF characteristics across the QPT.

CRC Press eBooks•Nov 2, 2010•0 citations

Direct observation of nonlocal fermion pairing in an attractive Fermi-Hubbard gas

Thomas R. Hartke, Botond Oreg, Carter Turnbaugh +2 more

The Hubbard model of attractively interacting fermions provides a paradigmatic setting for fermion pairing. It features a crossover between Bose-Einstein condensation of tightly bound pairs and Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer superfluidity of long-range Cooper pairs, and a "pseudo-gap" region where pairs form above the superfluid critical temperature. We directly observe the nonlocal nature of fermion pairing in a Hubbard lattice gas, using spin- and density-resolved imaging of [Formula: see text]1000 fermionic potassium-40 atoms under a bilayer microscope. Complete fermion pairing is revealed by the vanishing of global spin fluctuations with increasing attraction. In the strongly correlated regime, the fermion pair size is found to be on the order of the average interparticle spacing. Our study informs theories of pseudo-gap behavior in strongly correlated fermion systems.

arXiv:2208.05948•Science•Jul 6, 2023•57 citations
Ultracold atoms in an optical lattice provide a platform for realization of the superfluid (SF) state, a quantum order with paired charge-neutral fermions. In this paper, we study the SF state in the two-dimensional attractive Hubbard model with \ensuremathπ\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremathπ flux on each plaquette. The SF state in the \ensuremathπ\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremathπ-flux lattice model suffers very strong quantum fluctuations and the ground state becomes a possible quantum phase liquid state. In this phase, there exists Cooper pairing together with a finite energy gap for the atoms, but no long-range SF phase coherence exists at zero temperature. In addition, we discuss the properties of the SF vortices.
We consider a generic two-dimensional system of fermionic particles with attractive interactions and no disorder. If time reversal symmetry is absent, it is possible to obtain incompressible insulating states in addition to the superfluid at zero temperature. The superfluid-insulator phase transition is found to be second order in type-II systems using a perturbative analysis of Cooper pairing instability in quantum Hall states of unpaired fermions. We obtain the pairing phase diagram as a function of chemical potential (density) and temperature. However, a more careful analysis presented here reveals that the pairing quantum phase transition is always preempted by another transition into a strongly correlated normal state which retains Cooper pairing and cannot be smoothly connected to the quantum Hall state of unpaired fermions. Such a normal phase can be qualitatively viewed as a liquid of vortices, although it may acquire conventional broken symmetries. Even if it did not survive at finite temperatures its influence would be felt through strong quantum fluctuations below a crossover temperature scale. These conclusions directly apply to fermionic ultracold-atom systems near unitarity, but are likely relevant for the properties of other strongly correlated superfluids as well, including high-temperature superconductors.
We study fermionic superfluidity in an ultracold Bose-Fermi mixture loaded into a square optical lattice subjected to a staggered flux. While the bosons form a Bose-Einstein condensate at very low temperature and weak interaction, the interacting fermions experience an additional long-ranged attractive interaction mediated by phonons in the bosonic condensate. This leads us to consider a generalized Hubbard model with on-site and nearest-neighbor attractive interactions, which give rise to two competing pairing channels. We use the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory to determine the regimes where distinct fermionic superfluids are stabilized and find that the nonlocal pairing channel favors a superfluid state which breaks both the gauge and the lattice symmetries, similar to unconventional superconductivity occurring in some strongly correlated systems. Furthermore, the particular structure of the single-particle spectrum leads to unexpected consequences, for example, a dome-shaped superfluid region in the temperature versus filing fraction phase diagram, with a normal phase that contains much richer physics than a Fermi liquid. Notably, the relevant temperature regime and coupling strength are readily accessible in state of the art experiments with ultracold trapped atoms.
In this paper we address the behavior of the superfluid transition temperature Tc{T}_{c}Tc​ in the attractive Hubbard model. The attractive Hubbard model can be regarded as the generalization of the BCS to Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) crossover to a lattice and, as such, may have implications for future optical lattice studies. Nevertheless, the BEC limit of the Hubbard model is very different from that of the better-studied Fermi gases, owing to the strong intersite repulsion between pairs. Here we address systematically the effects of pairing fluctuations for all filling fractions over the entire range of attractive interaction strength. A central conclusion of our work is that in a lattice, around half filling, the smooth evolution from the BCS to the BEC limits is interrupted: Tc{T}_{c}Tc​ vanishes when the system approaches the bosonic regime with increasing interaction strength. We suggest that this interruption of crossover may signal a quantum critical transition to another form of superfluid not continuously connected to a BCS-like phase. A simple variational ansatz for an alternate ground state in this more strongly coupled superfluid is presented. A generalization of the (sss-wave) Hubbard model to ddd-wave pairing allows us to address issues of relevance to high-Tc{T}_{c}Tc​ superconductivity. The phase diagram (representing the pairing or pseudogap onset temperature T∗{T}^{*}T∗ and Tc{T}_{c}Tc​) shows that here too one observes a vanishing of Tc{T}_{c}Tc​ when T∗{T}^{*}T∗ becomes sufficiently large. Given this predicted breakdown of the crossover, and given the striking similarity to features of the cuprate phase diagram, we suggest that future experiments on ultracold fermions in optical lattices should not be exclusively limited to the repulsive Hubbard model, but should address the attractive model in order to elucidate features of high-temperature superconductivity.
The presence of attractive interaction between fermions can lead to pairing and superfluidity in an optical lattice. The temperature needed to observe superfluidity is about a tenth of the tunneling energy in the optical lattice, and currently beyond experimental reach. However, at strong coupling the precursors to global superfluidity should be visible at achievable temperatures, in terms of fluctuating domains with strong pairing correlations. We explore this regime of the attractive two dimensional fermion Hubbard model, in the presence of a confining potential, using a new Monte Carlo technique. We capture the low temperature inhomogeneous superfluid state with its unusual spectral signatures but mainly focus on the experimentally accessible intermediate temperature state. In this regime, and for the trap center density we consider, there is a large pairing amplitude at the center, spatially correlated into domains extending over several lattice spacings. We map out the thermal evolution of the local density, the double occupancy, the pairing correlations, and the momentum distribution function across this phase fluctuation window.
Ultracold atoms in optical lattices have proven to be a versatile model system in which strong correlation effects in a many-body quantum system can be studied [1]. The tunability and control over almost all underlying system parameters makes them rather unique and allows one to switch between different ground states of the underlying many-body quantum system. One of the most prominent effects in this respect is the quantum phase transition (QPT) from a superfluid (SF) to a Mott insulator (MI) that started the field of strong-correlation physics with ultracold gases. First theoretically proposed by Fisher et al. [2], the Bose-Hubbard model (BHM) was introduced into the field of ultracold atoms by Jaksch et al. [3], eventually being realized in subsequent experiments [4-7]. This article focuses on giving a brief summary of the main results achieved in the SF-MI transition with ultracold bosons in optical lattices. A brief introduction into the setup of optical lattices is followed by a discussion of key results such as the coherence properties, the density profiles, transport properties and SF characteristics across the QPT.
The Hubbard model of attractively interacting fermions provides a paradigmatic setting for fermion pairing. It features a crossover between Bose-Einstein condensation of tightly bound pairs and Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer superfluidity of long-range Cooper pairs, and a "pseudo-gap" region where pairs form above the superfluid critical temperature. We directly observe the nonlocal nature of fermion pairing in a Hubbard lattice gas, using spin- and density-resolved imaging of [Formula: see text]1000 fermionic potassium-40 atoms under a bilayer microscope. Complete fermion pairing is revealed by the vanishing of global spin fluctuations with increasing attraction. In the strongly correlated regime, the fermion pair size is found to be on the order of the average interparticle spacing. Our study informs theories of pseudo-gap behavior in strongly correlated fermion systems.