title: Local quantum criticality in confined fermions on optical lattices.
abstract: Using quantum Monte Carlo simulations, we show that the one-dimensional fermionic Hubbard model in a harmonic potential displays quantum critical behavior at the boundaries of a Mott-insulating region. A local compressibility defined to characterize the Mott-insulating phase has a nontrivial critical exponent. Both the local compressibility and the variance of the local density show universality with respect to the confining potential. We determine a generic phase diagram, which allows the prediction of the phases to be observed in experiments with ultracold fermionic atoms trapped on optical lattices.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Theoretische Physik III, Universität Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 57, D-70550 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rigol
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muramatsu
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Batrouni
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Scalettar