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Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 136406 (2005) [4 pages]

Signature of Mott-Insulator Transition with Ultracold Fermions in a One-Dimensional Optical Lattice

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Xia-Ji Liu1, Peter D. Drummond1, and Hui Hu2,3
1ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum-Atom Optics, Department of Physics, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
2NEST-INFM and Classe di Scienze, Scuola Normale Superiore, I-56126 Pisa, Italy
3Interdisciplinary Center of Theoretical Studies, Chinese Academy of Science, P. O. Box 2735, Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China

Received 18 October 2004; published 8 April 2005

Using the exact Bethe ansatz solution of the Hubbard model and Luttinger liquid theory, we investigate the density profiles and collective modes of one-dimensional ultracold fermions confined in an optical lattice with a harmonic trapping potential. We determine a generic phase diagram in terms of a characteristic filling factor and a dimensionless coupling constant. The collective oscillations of the atomic mass density, a technique that is commonly used in experiments, provide a signature of the quantum phase transition from the metallic phase to the Mott-insulator phase. A detailed experimental implementation is proposed.


©2005 The American Physical Society

URL: http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.136406
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.136406
PACS: 71.10.Pm, 03.75.Kk, 03.75.Ss, 71.30.+h

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