Strongly correlated superfluid order parameters from dc Josephson supercurrents.

The direct-current (dc) Josephson effect provides a phase-sensitive tool for investigating superfluid order parameters. We report on the observation of dc Josephson supercurrents in strongly interacting fermionic superfluids across a tunneling barrier in the absence of any applied potential difference. For sufficiently strong barriers, we observed a sinusoidal current-phase relation, in agreement with Josephson's seminal prediction. We mapped out the zero-resistance state and its breakdown as a function of junction parameters, extracting the Josephson critical current behavior. By comparing our results with an analytic model, we determined the pair condensate fraction throughout the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer-Bose-Einstein condensation crossover. Our work suggests that coherent Josephson transport may be used to pin down superfluid order parameters in diverse atomic systems, even in the presence of strong correlations.

Theory of rf-spectroscopy of strongly interacting fermions.

We show that strong pairing correlations in Fermi gases lead to the appearance of a gaplike structure in the rf spectrum, both in the balanced superfluid and in the normal phase above the Clogston-Chandrasekhar limit. The average rf shift of a unitary gas is proportional to the ratio of the Fermi velocity and the scattering length with the final state. In the strongly imbalanced case, the rf spectrum measures the binding energy of a minority atom to the Fermi sea of majority atoms. Our results provide a qualitative understanding of recent experiments by Schunck et al.

Theory of ground state cooling of a mechanical oscillator using dynamical backaction.

A quantum theory of cooling of a mechanical oscillator by radiation pressure-induced dynamical backaction is developed, which is analogous to sideband cooling of trapped ions. We find that final occupancies well below unity can be attained when the mechanical oscillation frequency is larger than the optical cavity linewidth. It is shown that the final average occupancy can be retrieved directly from the optical output spectrum.

Spin-charge separation in cold fermi gases: a real time analysis.

Using the adaptive time-dependent density-matrix renormalization group method for the 1D Hubbard model, the splitting of local perturbations into separate wave packets carrying charge and spin is observed in real time. We show the robustness of this separation beyond the low-energy Luttinger liquid theory by studying the time evolution of single particle excitations and density wave packets. A striking signature of spin-charge separation is found in 1D cold Fermi gases in a harmonic trap at the boundary between liquid and Mott-insulating phases. We give quantitative estimates for an experimental observation of spin-charge separation in an array of atomic wires.

Atomic quantum dots coupled to a reservoir of a superfluid Bose-Einstein condensate.

We study the dynamics of an atomic quantum dot, i.e., a single atom in a tight optical trap which is coupled to a superfluid reservoir via laser transitions. Quantum interference between the collisional interactions and the laser induced coupling results in a tunable dot-bath coupling, allowing an essentially complete decoupling from the environment. Quantum dots embedded in a 1D Luttinger liquid of cold bosonic atoms realize a spin-boson model with Ohmic coupling, which exhibits a dissipative phase transition and allows us to directly measure atomic Luttinger parameters.

Exactly solvable model of the BCS-BEC crossover.

We discuss an integrable model of interacting fermions in one dimension that allows a complete description of the crossover from a BCS- to a Bose-like superfluid. This model bridges the Gaudin-Yang model of attractive spin 1/2 fermions to the Lieb-Liniger model of repulsive bosons. Using a geometric resonance in the one-dimensional scattering length, the inverse coupling constant varies from -infinity to +infinity while the system evolves from a BCS-like state through a Tonks-Girardeau gas to a weakly interacting Bose gas of dimers. We study the ground state energy, the elementary density and spin excitations, and the correlation functions. An experimental realization with cold atoms of such a one-dimensional BCS-BEC crossover is proposed.

Spectroscopy of superfluid pairing in atomic fermi gases.

We study the dynamic structure factor for density and spin within the crossover from BCS superfluidity of atomic fermions to the Bose-Einstein condensation of molecules. Both structure factors are experimentally accessible via Bragg spectroscopy and allow for the identification of the pairing mechanism: the spin structure factor allows for the determination of the two particle gap, while the collective sound mode in the density structure reveals the superfluid state.

Anomalous fluctuations in phases with a broken continuous symmetry.

It is shown that the Goldstone modes associated with a broken continuous symmetry lead to anomalously large fluctuations of the zero field order parameter at any temperature below T(c). In dimensions 2

Commensurate-incommensurate transition of cold atoms in an optical lattice.

An atomic gas subject to a commensurate periodic potential generated by an optical lattice undergoes a superfluid-Mott insulator transition. Confining a strongly interacting gas to one dimension generates an instability where an arbitrary weak potential is sufficient to pin the atoms into the Mott state; here, we derive the corresponding phase diagram. The commensurate pinned state may be detected via its finite excitation gap and the Bragg peaks in the static structure factor.

Spin-charge separation in ultracold quantum gases.

We investigate the physical properties of quasi-1D quantum gases of fermionic atoms confined in harmonic traps. Using the fact that for a homogeneous gas the low-energy properties are exactly described by a Luttinger model, we analyze the nature and manifestations of spin-charge separation, where in the case of atoms "spin" and "charge" refer to two internal atomic states and the atomic mass density, respectively. We discuss the necessary physical conditions and experimental limitations confronting possible experimental implementations.

Vertex corrections near the stripe phase.

We calculate the vertex corrections within a model for fermion quasiparticles coupled with charge and spin fluctuations, which provide the relevant scattering mechanism near the stripe instability in high- T(c) cuprates. The logarithmic divergence of the vertex, which characterizes the spin-fermion model near the antiferromagnetic instability, is ruled out, due to the incommensuration of the charge and spin modulation within the stripe phase, as revealed by neutron scattering. This simplifies the skeleton structure of the problem. The vertex is negative in the relevant kinematical regime, effectively reducing the interaction strength. Our results apply to generic incommensurate instabilities of electronic origin.

Nanomechanical resonator shuttling single electrons at radio frequencies.

We observe transport of electrons through a metallic island on the tip of a nanomechanical pendulum. The resulting tunneling current shows distinct features corresponding to the discrete mechanical eigenfrequencies of the pendulum. We report on measurements covering the temperature range from 300 down to 4.2 K. We explain the I-V curve, which unexpectedly differs from previous theoretical predictions, with model calculations based on a master equation approach.