No Arabic abstract
We develop a theory of weakly interacting fermionic atoms in shaken optical lattices based on the orbital mixing in the presence of time-periodic modulations. Specifically, we focus on fermionic atoms in circularly shaken square lattice with near resonance frequencies, i.e., tuned close to the energy separation between $s$-band and the $p$-bands. First, we derive a time-independent four-band effective Hamiltonian in the non-interacting limit. Diagonalization of the effective Hamiltonian yields a quasi-energy spectrum consistent with the full numerical Floquet solution that includes all higher bands. In particular, we find that the hybridized $s$-band develops multiple minima and therefore non-trivial Fermi surfaces at different fillings. We then obtain the effective interactions for atoms in the hybridized $s$-band analytically and show that they acquire momentum dependence on the Fermi surface even though the bare interaction is contact-like. We apply the theory to find the phase diagram of fermions with weak attractive interactions and demonstrate that the pairing symmetry is $s+d$-wave. Our theory is valid for a range of shaking frequencies near resonance, and it can be generalized to other phases of interacting fermions in shaken lattices.
We analyze a system of two-component fermions which interact via a Feshbach resonance in the presence of a three-dimensional lattice potential. By expressing a two-channel model of the resonance in the basis of Bloch states appropriate for the lattice, we derive an eigenvalue equation for the two-particle bound states which is nonlinear in the energy eigenvalue. Compact expressions for the interchannel matrix elements, numerical methods for the solution of the nonlinear eigenvalue problem, and a renormalization procedure to remove ultraviolet divergences are presented. From the structure of the two-body solutions we identify the relevant degrees of freedom which describe the resonance behavior in the lowest Bloch band. These degrees of freedom, which we call dressed molecules, form an effective closed channel in a many-body model of the resonance, the Fermi resonance Hamiltonian (FRH). It is shown how the properties of the FRH can be determined numerically by solving a projected lattice two-channel model at the two-particle level. As opposed to single-channel lattice models such as the Hubbard model, the FRH is valid for general s-wave scattering length and resonance width. Hence, the FRH provides an accurate description of the BEC-BCS crossover for ultracold fermions on an optical lattice.
Solid state systems derive their richness from the interplay between interparticle interactions and novel band structures that deviate from those of free particles. Strongly interacting systems, where both of these phenomena are of equal importance, exhibit a variety of theoretically interesting and practically useful phases. Systems of ultracold atoms are rapidly emerging as precise and controllable simulators, and it is precisely in this strongly interacting regime where simulation is the most useful. Here we demonstrate how to hybridize Bloch bands in optical lattices to introduce long-range ferromagnetic order in an itinerant atomic system. We find spontaneously broken symmetry for bosons with a double-well dispersion condensing into one of two distinct minima, which we identify with spin-up and spin-down. The density dynamics following a rapid quench to the ferromagnetic state confirm quantum interference between the two states as the mechanism for symmetry breaking. Unlike spinor condensates, where interaction is driven by small spin-dependent differences in scattering length, our interactions scale with the scattering length itself, leading to domains which equilibrate rapidly and develop sharp boundaries characteristic of a strongly interacting ferromagnet.
We propose a physical scheme for the realization of two-dimensional topological odd-parity superfluidity in a spin-independent bond-centered square optical lattice based upon interband fermion pairing. The D4 point-group symmetry of the lattice protects a quadratic band crossing, which allows one to prepare a Fermi surface of spin-up fermions with odd parity close to the degeneracy point. In the presence of spin-down fermions with even parity populating a different energetically well separated band, odd-parity pairing is favored. Strikingly, as a necessary prerequisite for pairing both Fermi surfaces can be tuned to match well. As a result, topological superfluid phases emerge in the presence of merely s-wave interaction. Due to the Z2 symmetry of these odd-parity superfluids, we infer their topological features simply from the symmetry and the Fermi-surface topology as confirmed numerically.
We report the experimental realization of a topological Creutz ladder for ultracold fermionic atoms in a resonantly driven 1D optical lattice. The two-leg ladder consists of the two lowest orbital states of the optical lattice and the cross inter-leg links are generated via two-photon resonant coupling between the orbitals by periodic lattice shaking. The characteristic pseudo-spin winding in the topologically non-trivial bands of the ladder system is demonstrated using momentum-resolved Ramsey-type interferometric measurements. We discuss a two-tone driving method to extend the inter-leg link control and propose a topological charge pumping scheme for the Creutz ladder system.
To test effective Hamiltonians for strongly interacting fermions in an optical lattice, we numerically find the energy spectrum for two fermions interacting across a Feshbach resonance in a double well potential. From the spectrum, we determine the range of detunings for which the system can be described by an effective lattice model, and how the model parameters are related to the experimental parameters. We find that for a range of strong interactions the system is well described by an effective $t-J$ model, and the effective superexchange term, $J$, can be smoothly tuned through zero on either side of unitarity. Right at and around unitarity, an effective one-band general Hubbard model is appropriate, with a finite and small on-site energy, due to a lattice-induced anharmonic coupling between atoms at the scattering threshold and a weakly bound Feshbach molecule in an excited center of mass state.