Flavour-selective localization in interacting lattice fermions

Anno: 2022

Autori: Tusi D., Franchi L., Livi LF., Baumann K., Orenes DB., Del Re L., Barfknecht RE., Zhou TW., Inguscio M., Cappellini G., Capone M., Catani J., Fallani L.

Affiliazione autori: LENS European Lab Nonlinear Spect, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Univ Florence, Dept Phys & Astron, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; SISSA Scuola Internazl Super Studi Avanzati, Trieste, Italy; CNRS ESPCI UPMC, Lab Phys & Etud Mat, UMR8213, Paris, France; CNR, Sesto Fiorentino, CNR INO Ist Nazl Ott, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Barcelona Inst Sci & Technol, ICFO Inst Ciencies Fotan, Castelldefels, Spain; Georgetown Univ, Dept Phys, Washington, DC 20057 USA; Campus Biomed Univ Rome, Dept Engn, Rome, Italy; CNR, CNR IOM Ist Officina Mat, Trieste, Italy; INFN Natl Inst Nucl Phys, Florence, Italy.

Abstract: A large repulsion between particles in a quantum system can lead to their localization, an effect responsible for the Mott insulator phases in strongly correlated materials. In a system with multiple orbitals, an orbital-selective Mott insulator can form, where electrons in some orbitals are predicted to localize while others remain itinerant. Here we demonstrate a more general version of this phenomenon by observing flavour-selective localization in an atom-based quantum simulator. Our experiment realizes Fermi-Hubbard models with an SU(3) symmetry that can be broken using a tunable coupling between flavours. We observe an enhancement of the localization associated with a selective Mott transition and the emergence of flavour-dependent correlations. Our realization of flavour-selective Mott physics demonstrates the potential of cold atoms to simulate interacting multicomponent materials such as superconductors and topological insulators. A Mott insulator forms when strong interactions between particles cause them to become localized. A cold atom simulator has now been used to realize a selective Mott insulator in which atoms are localized or propagating depending on their spin state.

Giornale/Rivista: NATURE PHYSICS

Volume: 18 (10)      Da Pagina: 1201  A: +

Maggiori informazioni: We acknowledge insightful discussions with M. Dalmonte, D. Clement and F. Scazza and financial support from projects TOPSIM ERC consolidator grant no. 682629, QTFLAG QuantERA ERA-NET Cofund in Quantum Technologies, TOPSPACE MIUR FARE project, MIUR PRIN project 2017E44HRF, MIUR PRIN project 2015C5SEJJ, MIUR PRIN project 20172H2SC4 and INFN FISh project. L.D.R. was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering under grant no. DE-SC0019469.
Parole chiavi: Mott Insulator
DOI: 10.1038/s41567-022-01726-5

Citazioni: 26
dati da “WEB OF SCIENCE” (of Thomson Reuters) aggiornati al: 2025-06-29
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