Collective modes and the speed of sound in the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state

We consider the density response of a spin-imbalanced ultracold Fermi gas in an optical lattice in the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) state. We calculate the collective mode spectrum of the system in the generalised random phase approximation and find that though the collective modes are damped even at zero tempererature, the damping is weak enough to have well-defined collective modes. We calculate the speed of sound in the gas and show that it is anisotropic due to the anisotropy of the FFLO pairing, which implies an experimental signature for the FFLO state.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures (revised version

Quasi two-dimensional superfluid Fermi gases

We study a quasi two-dimensional superfluid Fermi gas where the confinement in the third direction is due to a strong harmonic trapping. We investigate the behavior of such a system when the chemical potential is varied and find strong modifications of the superfluid properties due to the discrete harmonic oscillator states. We show that such quasi two-dimensional behavior can be created and observed with current experimental capabilities.Comment: In response to referee comments, minor changes from the earlier versio

Localization and diffusion in Ising-type quantum networks

We investigate the effect of phase randomness in Ising-type quantum networks. These networks model a large class of physical systems. They describe micro- and nanostructures or arrays of optical elements such as beam splitters (interferometers) or parameteric amplifiers. Most of these stuctures are promising candidates for quantum information processing networks. We demonstrate that such systems exhibit two very distinct types of behaviour. For certain network configurations (parameters), they show quantum localization similar to Anderson localization whereas classical stochastic behaviour is observed in other cases. We relate these findings to the standard theory of quantum localization.Comment: 12 page

Density response of a trapped Fermi gas: a crossover from the pair vibration mode to the Goldstone mode

We consider the density response of a trapped two-component Fermi gas. Combining the Bogoliubov-deGennes method with the random phase approximation allows the study of both collective and single particle excitations. Calculating the density response across a wide range of interactions, we observe a crossover from a weakly interacting pair vibration mode to a strongly interacting Goldstone mode. The crossover is associated with a depressed collective mode frequency and an increased damping rate, in agreement with density response experiments performed in strongly interacting atomic gases.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figure

Impurity and soliton dynamics in a Fermi gas with nearest-neighbor interactions

We study spinless fermions with repulsive nearest-neighbor interactions perturbed by an impurity particle or a local potential quench. Using the numerical time-evolving block decimation method and a simplified analytic model, we show that the pertubations create a soliton-antisoliton pair. If solitons are already present in the bath, the two excitations have a drastically different dynamics: The antisoliton does not annihilate with the solitons and is therefore confined close to its origin while the soliton excitation propagates. We discuss the consequences for experiments with ultracold gases.Comment: 12 pages, 16 figure

Fast trimers in one-dimensional extended Fermi-Hubbard model

We consider a one-dimensional two component extended Fermi-Hubbard model with nearest neighbor interactions and mass imbalance between the two species. We study the stability of trimers, various observables for detecting them, and expansion dynamics. We generalize the definition of the trimer gap to include the formation of different types of clusters originating from nearest neighbor interactions. Expansion dynamics reveal rapidly propagating trimers, with speeds exceeding doublon propagation in strongly interacting regime. We present a simple model for understanding this unique feature of the movement of the trimers, and we discuss the potential for experimental realization.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure