title: Trapping and cooling fermionic atoms into Mott and Néel states.
abstract: We perform a theoretical study of a fermionic gas with two hyperfine states confined to an optical lattice. We derive a generic state diagram as a function of interaction strength, particle number, and confining potential. We discuss the central density, the double occupancy, and their derivatives as probes for the Mott state, connecting our findings to the recent experiment of Jördens et al. [Nature (London) 455, 204 (2008)10.1038/nature07244]. Using entropic arguments we compare two different strategies to reach the antiferromagnetic state in the presence of a trapping potential.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Physique Théorique, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, 91128 Palaiseau, France.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Leo
authors.forename: Corinna
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kollath
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Georges
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrero
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Parcollet