Interplay between exotic superfluidity and magnetism in a chain of four-component ultracold atoms

E. Szirmai, G. Barcza, J. Sólyom, and Ö. Legeza
Phys. Rev. A 95, 013610 – Published 12 January 2017

Abstract

We investigate the spin-polarized chain of ultracold alkaline-earth-metal atoms with spin-3/2 described by the fermionic Hubbard model with SU(4) symmetric attractive interaction. The competition of bound pairs, trions, quartets, and unbound atoms is studied analytically and by density-matrix renormalization-group simulations. We find several distinct states where bound particles coexist with the ferromagnetic state of unpaired fermions. In particular, an exotic inhomogeneous Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO)-type superfluid of quartets in a magnetic background of uncorrelated atoms is found for weaker interactions. We show that the system can be driven from this quartet-FFLO state to a molecular state of localized quartets where spatial segregation between molecular crystals and ferromagnetic liquids emerges, and this transition is reflected in the static structure factor.

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  • Received 7 January 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.95.013610

©2017 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

  1. Research Areas
  1. Physical Systems
Atomic, Molecular & Optical

Authors & Affiliations

E. Szirmai1,*, G. Barcza2,†, J. Sólyom2, and Ö. Legeza2

  • 1BME-MTA Exotic Quantum Phases “Lendület” Research Group, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Institute of Physics, H-1111 Budapest, Hungary
  • 2Strongly Correlated Systems “Lendület” Research Group, Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1525 Budapest, Hungary

  • *eszirmai@gmail.com
  • barcza.gergely@wigner.mta.hu

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Issue

Vol. 95, Iss. 1 — January 2017

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