Strongly correlated electron systems such as high-temperature superconductors, pseudo-gap states and spin liquids are a cornerstone of modern condensed matter research. One method of studying these systems is the construction of a quantum simulator that captures the essential underlying physics. Ultracold fermionic quantum gases in optical lattices provide a clean and tunable implementation of the Hubbard model, which is believed to be the paradigmatic model of the cuprates. Moreover, high-resolution optical microscopy of these systems gives access to site-level observables and correlation functions. However, so far ultracold atom experiments have not been able to reach the low-temperature regime of the doped Hubbard model, where complex many-body phases are expected.
In this talk I will report on the observation of antiferromagnetic long-range order in a repulsively interacting Fermi gas of Li-6 atoms in a 2D square lattice. We detect the ordered state via the emergence of a peak in the spin structure factor and a diverging spin correlation length. When doping away from half-filling into a numerically intractable regime, we find that long-range order extends to doping concentrations of about 15%. I will also show how we can use entropy redistribution to create ultra-low entropy states of fermionic atoms. Furthermore, I will discuss recent efforts on detecting microscopic signatures of magnetic polarons in the doped Hubbard model.
Geoffrey Ji received his undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland, where he was awarded the Goldwater Scholarship for his work with Professor Chris Monroe on trapped ion quantum computers. He is now a third year graduate student at Harvard University working with Professor Markus Greiner on studying quantum many-body physics using ultracold atoms. He has coauthored several publications in Nature and Science relating to quantum gas microscopy of the Hubbard model.
Host: Wei Ku