Abstract
The Pauli exclusion principle is a fundamental law underpinning the structure of matter. Because of their antisymmetric wave function, no two fermions can occupy the same quantum state. Here, we report on the direct observation of the Pauli principle in a continuous system of up to six particles in the ground state of a two-dimensional harmonic oscillator. To this end, we sample the full many-body wave function by applying a single atom resolved imaging scheme in momentum space. We find so-called Pauli crystals as a manifestation of higher order correlations. In contrast to true crystalline phases, these unique high-order density correlations emerge even without any interactions present. Our work lays the foundation for future studies of correlations in strongly interacting systems of many fermions.
- Received 7 May 2020
- Revised 15 September 2020
- Accepted 20 November 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.020401
© 2021 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Viewpoint
Revealing a Pauli Crystal
Published 13 January 2021
A novel, high-resolution fluorescence imaging technique reveals a pattern, known as a Pauli crystal, that can emerge in a cloud of trapped, noninteracting fermions.
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