Single-atom imaging of fermions in a quantum-gas microscope

Single-atom-resolved detection in optical lattices using quantum-gas microscopes has enabled a new generation of experiments in the field of quantum simulation. Fluorescence imaging of individual atoms has so far been achieved for bosonic species with optical molasses cooling, whereas detection of fermionic alkaline atoms in optical lattices by this method has proven more challenging. Here we demonstrate single-site- and single-atom-resolved fluorescence imaging of fermionic potassium-40 atoms in a quantum-gas microscope setup using electromagnetically-induced-transparency cooling. We detected on average 1000 fluorescence photons from a single atom within 1.5s, while keeping it close to the vibrational ground state of the optical lattice. Our results will enable the study of strongly correlated fermionic quantum systems in optical lattices with resolution at the single-atom level, and give access to observables such as the local entropy distribution and individual defects in fermionic Mott insulators or anti-ferromagnetically ordered phases.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures; Nature Physics, published online 13 July 201

Direct observation of incommensurate magnetism in Hubbard chains

The interplay between magnetism and doping is at the origin of exotic strongly correlated electronic phases and can lead to novel forms of magnetic ordering. One example is the emergence of incommensurate spin-density waves with a wave vector that does not match the reciprocal lattice. In one dimension this effect is a hallmark of Luttinger liquid theory, which also describes the low energy physics of the Hubbard model. Here we use a quantum simulator based on ultracold fermions in an optical lattice to directly observe such incommensurate spin correlations in doped and spin-imbalanced Hubbard chains using fully spin and density resolved quantum gas microscopy. Doping is found to induce a linear change of the spin-density wave vector in excellent agreement with Luttinger theory predictions. For non-zero polarization we observe a decrease of the wave vector with magnetization as expected from the Heisenberg model in a magnetic field. We trace the microscopic origin of these incommensurate correlations to holes, doublons and excess spins which act as delocalized domain walls for the antiferromagnetic order. Finally, when inducing interchain coupling we observe fundamentally different spin correlations around doublons indicating the formation of a magnetic polaron

Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction and Spiral Order in Spin-orbit Coupled Optical Lattices

We show that the recent experimental realization of spin-orbit coupling in ultracold atomic gases can be used to study different types of spin spiral order and resulting multiferroic effects. Spin-orbit coupling in optical lattices can give rise to the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) spin interaction which is essential for spin spiral order. By taking into account spin-orbit coupling and an external Zeeman field, we derive an effective spin model in the Mott insulator regime at half filling and demonstrate that the DM interaction in optical lattices can be made extremely strong with realistic experimental parameters. The rich finite temperature phase diagrams of the effective spin models for fermions and bosons are obtained via classical Monte Carlo simulations.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Magnetic crystals and helical liquids in alkaline-earth fermionic gases

The joint action of a synthetic gauge potential and of atomic contact repulsion in a one-dimensional alkaline-earth(-like) fermionic gas with nuclear spin I leads to the existence of a hierarchy of fractional insulating and conducting states with intriguing properties. We unveil the existence and the features of those phases by means of both analytical bosonization techniques and numerical methods based on the density-matrix renormalization group algorithm. In particular, we show that the gapless phases can support helical modes, whereas the gapped states, which appear under certain conditions, are characterised both by density and magnetic order. Several distinct features emerge solely for spin I larger than 1/2, thus making their study with cold-atoms unique. We will finally argue that these states are related to the properties of an unconventional fractional quantum Hall effect in the thin-torus limit. The properties of this hierarchy of states can be experimentally studied in state-of-the-art cold-atom laboratories

New Test of Local Lorentz Invariance Using a Ne-21-Rb-K Comagnetometer

We develop a new comagnetometer using Ne-21 atoms with nuclear spin I = 3/2 and Rb atoms polarized by spin exchange with K atoms to search for tensor interactions that violate local Lorentz invariance. We frequently reverse the orientation of the experiment and search for signals at the first and second harmonics of the sidereal frequency. We constrain 4 of the 5 spatial Lorentz-violating coefficients c(jk)(n) that parametrize anisotropy of the maximum attainable velocity of a neutron at a level of 10(-29), improving previous limits by 2 to 4 orders of magnitude and placing the most stringent constraint on deviations from local Lorentz invariance

Experimental investigation on thermal performance of water wall systems exposed to fire

Water wall systems (WWSs) are increasingly being used as glass façades in modern green buildings owing to their enhancement in building energy efficiency. However, little is known about their performance when exposed to fire. In this study, 500 × 1000 mm2 sized water wall systems with 30 mm, 50 mm and 100 mm thick water columns were tested and compared to the thermal performance of a 500 × 1000 mm2 sized single skin glass façade system. These façade systems were heated by a 400 × 600 mm2 isopropanol pool fire. The distance from the pan centre to pane 1 of the façade was 350 mm. Time to first crack and surface temperatures were measured. The experimental results indicate that single skin glass façades are more vulnerable to cracking than water wall systems, but exposed glass pane fallout can easily occur in water wall systems compared to single skin façades. Since the overall performance is dependent on the failure of the fire unexposed glass pane, water wall systems are more fire resistant than single skin glass façades. The water layer thickness significantly affects the WWS thermal performance, where a 50 mm thick water layer would result in a longer time to first crack. The experimental findings of this study are useful for developing practical guidelines for fire-safe glass façade designs