Signature of Mott-insulator transition with ultracold fermions in a one-dimensional optical lattice.
Using the exact Bethe ansatz solution of the Hubbard model and Luttinger liquid theory, we investigate the density profiles and collective modes of one-dimensional ultracold fermions confined in an optical lattice with a harmonic trapping potential. We determine a generic phase diagram in terms of a characteristic filling factor and a dimensionless coupling constant. The collective oscillations of the atomic mass density, a technique that is commonly used in experiments, provide a signature of the quantum phase transition from the metallic phase to the Mott-insulator phase. A detailed experimental implementation is proposed.
Liu
Xia-Ji
XJ
ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum-Atom Optics, Department of Physics, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
Drummond
Peter D
PD
Hu
Hui
H