U(1) ×\times U(1) / Z2_2 Kosterlitz-Thouless transition of the Larkin-Ovchinnikov phase in an anisotropic two-dimensional system

We study Kosterlitz-Thouless (KT) transitions of the Larkin-Ovchinnikov (LO) phase for a two-dimensional system composed of coupled one-dimensional tubes of fermions. The LO phase here is characterized by a stripe structure (periodic in only one direction) in the order parameter. The low energy excitations involve the oscillation of the stripe and the fluctuation of the phase, which can be described by an effective theory composed of two anisotropic XY models. We compute from a microscopic model the coefficients of the XY models from which the KT transition temperatures are determined. We found the $T^{KT} \propto t_{\perp}$ for small intertube tunneling $t_{\perp}$. As $t_{\perp}$ increases the system undergoes a first-order transition to the normal phase at zero temperature. Our method can be used to determine the Goldstone excitations of any stripe order involving charge or spin degrees of freedom.Comment: one-column, 5+ pages, 4 figure

pp-wave chiral superfluidity from an ss-wave interacting atomic Fermi gas

Chiral $p$-wave superfluids are fascinating topological quantum states of matter that have been found in the liquid $^3$He-A phase and arguably in the electronic Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ superconductor. They are shown fundamentally related to the fractional $5/2$ quantum Hall state which supports fractional exotic excitations. A common understanding is that such states require spin-triplet pairing of fermions due to $p$-wave interaction. Here we report by controlled theoretical approximation that a center-of-mass Wannier $p$-wave chiral superfluid state can arise from spin-singlet pairing for an $s$-wave interacting atomic Fermi gas in an optical lattice. Despite a conceptually different origin, it shows topological properties similar to the conventional chiral $p$-wave state. These include a non-zero Chern number and the appearance of chiral fermionic zero modes bounded to domain walls. Several signature quantities are calculated for the cold atom experimental condition.Comment: 16 pages and 7 figures including supplementary material

Effective action approach to the p-band Mott insulator and superfluid transition

Motivated by the recent experiment on p-orbital band bosons in optical lattices, we study theoretically the quantum phases of Mott insulator and superfluidity in two-dimensions. The system features a novel superfluid phase with transversely staggered orbital current at weak interaction, and a Mott insulator phase with antiferro-orbital order at strong coupling and commensurate filling. We go beyond mean field theory and derive from a microscopic model an effective action that is capable of describing both the p-band Mott insulating and superfluid phases in strong coupling. We further calculate the excitation spectra near the quantum critical point and find two gapless modes away from the tip of the Mott lobe but four gapless modes at the tip. Our effective theory reveals how the phase coherence peak builds up in the Mott regime when approaching the critical point. We also discuss the finite temperature phase transition of p-band superfluidity.Comment: 9+epsilon pages, 7 figures, one appendix added, accepted by Phys. Rev.

Spirals and skyrmions in two dimensional oxide heterostructures

We construct the general free energy governing long-wavelength magnetism in two-dimensional oxide heterostructures, which applies irrespective of the microscopic mechanism for magnetism. This leads, in the relevant regime of weak but non-negligible spin-orbit coupling, to a rich phase diagram containing in-plane ferromagnetic, spiral, cone, and skyrmion lattice phases, as well as a nematic state stabilized by thermal fluctuations. The general conclusions are vetted by a microscopic derivation for a simple model with Rashba spin-orbit coupling.Comment: 4+2 pages, 5 figures, version as accepted by Phys. Rev. Let

Bose-Einstein supersolid phase for a novel type of momentum dependent interaction

A novel class of non-local interactions between bosons is found to favor a crystalline Bose-Einstein condensation ground state. By using both low energy effective field theory and variational wavefunction method, we compare this state not only with the homogeneous superfluid, as has been done previously, but also with the normal (non-superfluid) crystalline phase and obtain the phase diagram. The key characters are: the interaction potential displays a negative minimum at finite momentum which determines the wavevector of this supersolid phase; and the wavelength corresponding to the momentum minimum needs to be greater than the mean inter-boson distance.Comment: 4 pages 3 figures, fig 1 and fig 2 update

Detecting π\pi-phase superfluids with pp-wave symmetry in a quasi-1D optical lattice

We propose an experimental protocol to study $p$-wave superfluidity in a spin-polarized cold Fermi gas tuned by an $s$-wave Feshbach resonance. A crucial ingredient is to add a quasi-1D optical lattice and tune the fillings of two spins to the $s$ and $p$ band, respectively. The pairing order parameter is confirmed to inherit $p$-wave symmetry in its center-of-mass motion. We find that it can further develop into a state of unexpected $\pi$-phase modulation in a broad parameter regime. Measurable quantities are calculated, including time-of-flight distributions, radio-frequency spectra, and in situ phase-contrast imaging in an external trap. The $\pi$-phase $p$-wave superfluid is reminiscent of the $\pi$-state in superconductor-ferromagnet heterostructures but differs in symmetry and origin. If observed, it would represent another example of $p$-wave pairing, first discovered in He-3 liquids.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure