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arXiv:1603.09358 · Physical review. B./Physical review. B

Interaction-driven Lifshitz transition with dipolar fermions in optical lattices

Erik G. C. P. van Loon, Mikhail I. Katsnelson, Lauriane Chomaz, Mikhail Lemeshko

Published May 23, 2016• 12 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Anisotropic dipole-dipole interactions between ultracold dipolar fermions break the symmetry of the Fermi surface and thereby deform it. Here we demonstrate that such a Fermi surface deformation induces a topological phase transition---the so-called Lifshitz transition---in the regime accessible to present-day experiments. We describe the impact of the Lifshitz transition on observable quantities such as the Fermi surface topology, the density-density correlation function, and the excitation spectrum of the system. The Lifshitz transition in ultracold atoms can be controlled by tuning the dipole orientation and, in contrast to the transition studied in crystalline solids, is completely interaction driven.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.93.195145

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•Jan 1, 2015•5 citations
Anisotropic dipole-dipole interactions between ultracold dipolar fermions break the symmetry of the Fermi surface and thereby deform it. Here we demonstrate that such a Fermi surface deformation induces a topological phase transition---the so-called Lifshitz transition---in the regime accessible to present-day experiments. We describe the impact of the Lifshitz transition on observable quantities such as the Fermi surface topology, the density-density correlation function, and the excitation spectrum of the system. The Lifshitz transition in ultracold atoms can be controlled by tuning the dipole orientation and, in contrast to the transition studied in crystalline solids, is completely interaction driven.
Lifshitz transitions are topological transitions of a Fermi surface, whose signatures typically appear in the conduction properties of a host metal. Here, we demonstrate, using an extended Falicov-Kimball model of a two-flavor fermion system, that a Lifshitz transition which occurs in the noninteracting limit impacts interaction-induced insulating phases, even though they do not host Fermi surfaces. For strong interactions we find a first-order transition between states of different polarization. This transition line ends in a very unusual quantum critical endpoint, whose presence is stabilized by the onset of interflavor coherence. We demonstrate that the surfaces of maximum coherence in these states reflect the distinct Fermi-surface topologies of the states separated by the noninteracting Lifshitz transition. Experimental realizations of our results are discussed for both electronic and optical lattice systems.
We consider the possibility of topological quantum phase transitions of ultracold fermions in optical lattices, which can be studied as a function of interaction strength or atomic filling factor (density). The phase transitions are connected to the topology of the elementary excitation spectrum, and occur only for non-zero angular momentum pairing (p-wave, d-wave and f-wave), while they are absent for s-wave. We construct phase diagrams for the specific example of highly anisotropic optical lattices, where the proposed topological phase transitions are most pronounced. To characterize the existence of these topological transitions, we calculate several measurable quantities including momentum distribution, quasi-particle excitation spectrum, atomic compressibility, superfluid density, and sound velocities.
Long-range anisotropic dipole-dipole interactions between ultracold polar molecules are predicted to drive exotic quantum phases, yet direct many-body signatures of these interactions in degenerate Fermi gases have remained elusive. Here, we report the observation of an interaction-induced controlled deformation of the Fermi surface, providing a clear many-body signature in a deeply degenerate Fermi gas of 23Na40K^{23}\text{Na}^{40}\text{K}23Na40K molecules. Using double microwave (MW) shielding, we prepare 8×1038 \times 10^38×103 molecules at 0.23(1)0.23(1)0.23(1) times the Fermi temperature, achieving a three-fold suppression of inelastic losses compared to single MW shielding while preserving strong elastic dipolar scattering. We observe Fermi surface deformations of up to 7 %7\,\%7%, more than two times larger than those observed in magnetic atoms, despite operating at two orders of magnitude lower densities. Crucially, we demonstrate continuous tuning of the interaction potential from axial U(1) to biaxial C2_{2}2​ symmetry, directly imprinting this geometry onto the Fermi surface. We find excellent agreement between our experimental results and parameter-free Hartree-Fock theory. These results establish MW-shielded polar molecules as a highly tunable platform for exploring strongly correlated dipolar Fermi matter and offer a promising path towards topological superfluidity.
In the presence of isotropic interactions, the Fermi surface of an ultracold Fermi gas is spherical. Introducing anisotropic interactions can deform the Fermi surface, but the effect is subtle and challenging to observe experimentally. Here, we report on the observation of a Fermi surface deformation in a degenerate dipolar Fermi gas of erbium atoms. The deformation is caused by the interplay between strong magnetic dipole-dipole interaction and the Pauli exclusion principle. We demonstrate the many-body nature of the effect and its tunability with the Fermi energy. Our observation provides a basis for future studies on anisotropic many-body phenomena in normal and superfluid phases.
We consider a two-dimensional model of noninteracting chains of spinless fermions weakly coupled via a small interchain hopping and a repulsive interchain interaction. The phase diagram of this model has a surprising feature: an abrupt change in the Fermi surface as the interaction is increased. We study in detail this metanematic transition and show that the well-known 2122\frac{1}{2}221​-order Lifshitz transition is the critical end point of this first-order quantum phase transition. Furthermore, in the vicinity of the end point, the order parameter has a nonperturbative BCS-type form. We also study a competing crystallization transition in this model and derive the full phase diagram. This physics can be demonstrated experimentally in dipolar ultracold atomic or molecular gases. In the presence of a harmonic trap, it manifests itself as a sharp jump in the density profile.
This thesis proposes conceptually new ways to realize materials with topological properties by using dipole-dipole interactions. First, we study a system of ultracold dipolar fermions, where the relaxation mechanism of dipolar spins can be used to reach the quantum Hall regime. Second, in a system of polar molecules in an optical lattice, dipole-dipole interactions induce spin-orbit coupling terms for the rotational excitations. In combination with time-reversal symmetry breaking this leads to topological bands with Chern numbers greater than one.