We propose a scheme to observe strongly correlated fermionic phenomena with bosonic atoms in optical lattices. For different values of the sign and strength of the scattering lengths, it is possible to reach either a "superconducting" regime, where the system exhibits atomic pairing, or a Luttinger liquid behavior. We identify the range of parameters where these phenomena appear, illustrate our predictions with numerical calculations, and show how to detect the presence of pairing.
We propose a scheme to observe strongly correlated fermionic phenomena with bosonic atoms in optical lattices. For different values of the sign and strength of the scattering lengths, it is possible to reach either a "superconducting" regime, where the system exhibits atomic pairing, or a Luttinger liquid behavior. We identify the range of parameters where these phenomena appear, illustrate our predictions with numerical calculations, and show how to detect the presence of pairing.
A mixture of ultracold bosons and fermions placed in an optical lattice constitutes a novel kind of quantum gas, and leads to phenomena, which so far has been discussed neither in atomic physics, nor in condensed matter physics. We discuss the phase diagram at low temperatures, and in the limit of strong atom-atom interactions, and predict the existence of quantum phases that involve pairing of fermions with one or more bosons, or, respectively, bosonic holes. The resulting composite fermions may form, depending on the system parameters, a normal Fermi liquid, a density wave, a superfluid liquid, or an insulator with fermionic domains. We discuss the feasibility for observing such phases in current experiments.
Recent success in manipulating ultracold atomic systems allows one to probe different strongly correlated regimes in one dimension. Regimes such as the (spin-coherent) Luttinger liquid and the spin-incoherent Luttinger liquid can be realized by tuning the interatomic interaction strength and trap parameters. We identify the noise correlations of density fluctuations as a robust observable (uniquely suitable in the context of trapped atomic gases) to discriminate between these two regimes. Finally, we address the prospects of realizing and probing these phenomena experimentally using optical lattices.
Two models are discussed here to illustrate the quantum many-body phenomena in mixtures of ultra-cold atoms in optical lattices. The first model describes a mixture of two species of bosonic atoms of equal masses in optical lattices and the second describes a mixture of heavy bosonic atoms and light fermionic atoms in optical lattices. For both models, we assume the trap is present and use parameters typical in experiment. For the first model, the discussion is aimed at providing a thorough description of the collective behavior of the binary mixture in various interaction regions, with emphasis on two many-body phenomena, pairing and anti-pairing, as a result of the inter-species interaction. The pairing leads to a new type of superfluid order, called the paired superfluid (PSF) and the anti-pairing leads to another type of superfluid order, called the counter-flow superfluid (CFSF). In addition, we discuss the coexistence of charge density wave order with the three superfluid orders in the strong interaction region. We use both Luttinger liquid theory and the time evolving block decimation (TEBD) method to study this model in one dimension. The discussion is organized in three parts: the phase diagram and the correlation functions; the noise correlation functions; and the transport properties. Two phase diagrams are constructed to map the different orders in the parameter space. The correlation functions, include noise correlations, are carefully examined for the determination of the orders and for possible detection methods. In the end, the transport properties of the PSF and CFSF orders are studied through the dipole oscillation induced by trap displacement. For the second model, examining a mixture of heavy bosons and light fermions, the discussion is oriented toward determining the thermal properties of the mixture for attractive inter-species interactions. This work is motivated by experiments creating artificial molecules through optical and magnetic control of ultra-cold atoms. We use the strong coupling (SC) expansion method to evaluate the density profile, the onsite inter-species correlations, the density fluctuations and the entropy per particle. Analytical expressions are derived for all the quantities above as well as the partition function. To benchmark the accuracy, the SC calculations are compared with inhomogeneous dynamical mean field theory (IDMFT) and Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. From the calculations, we find that 1) the efficiency of creating pre-formed molecules is significantly increased by confining the mixtures onto optical lattices; 2) the temperature of the mixtures in optical lattices can be reliably estimated through the density gradient and the density fluctuations.
We propose a scheme to create a metastable state of paired bosonic atoms in an optical lattice. The most salient features of this state are that the wave function of each pair is a Bell state and that the pair size spans half the lattice, similar to fermionic Cooper pairs. This mesoscopic state can be created with a dynamical process that involves crossing a quantum phase transition and which is supported by the symmetries of the physical system. We characterize the final state by means of a measurable two-particle correlator that detects both the presence of the pairs and their size.
The superfluidity and pairing phenomena in ultracold atomic Fermi gases have been of great interest in recent years, with multiple tunable parameters. Here we study the BCS-BEC crossover behavior of balanced two-component Fermi gases in a one-dimensional optical lattice, which is distinct from the simple three-dimensional (3D) continuum and a fully 3D lattice often found in a condensed matter system. We use a pairing fluctuation theory which includes self-consistent feedback effects at finite temperatures and find widespread pseudogap phenomena beyond the BCS regime. As a consequence of the lattice periodicity, the superfluid transition temperature Tc decreases with pairing strength in the BEC regime, where it approaches asymptotically ${T}_{\mathrm{c}}=\ensuremath{\pi}an/2m$, with a being the s-wave scattering length, and n (m) the fermion density (mass). In addition, the quasi-two dimensionality leads to fast-growing (absolute value of the) fermionic chemical potential $\ensuremath{\mu}$ and pairing gap $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}$, which depends exponentially on the ratio d/a. Importantly, Tc at unitarity increases with the lattice constant d and hopping integral t. The effect of the van Hove singularity on Tc is identified. The superfluid density exhibits T3/2 power laws at low T, away from the extreme BCS limit. These predictions can be tested in future experiments.
Recent experiments on quantum degenerate gases give an opportunity for simulating strongly-correlated electronic systems in optical lattices. It may shed light on some long-standing puzzles in condensed-matter physics, like the nature of high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates that had baffled people over two decades. It is believed that the two-dimensional fermionic Hubbard model, or t-J model, contains the key to this problem; but the difficulty of unveiling the mystery of a strongly-interacting fermionic system is also generally acknowledged. Here, as a substitute, we systematically analyze the property of bosonic t-J model simulated in optical superlattices near unit-filling. In particular, we show the emergence of a strange topological Fermi liquid with Fermi surfaces from a purely bosonic system. We also discuss the possibility of observing these phenomena in ultracold atom experiments. The result may provide some crucial insights into the origin of high-T_{c} superconductivity.