Quantum phases of quadrupolar Fermi gases in optical lattices.

We introduce a new platform for quantum simulation of many-body systems based on nonspherical atoms or molecules with zero dipole moments but possessing a significant value of electric quadrupole moments. We consider a quadrupolar Fermi gas trapped in a 2D square optical lattice, and show that the peculiar symmetry and broad tunability of the quadrupole-quadrupole interaction results in a rich phase diagram encompassing unconventional BCS and charge density wave phases, and opens up a perspective to create a topological superfluid. Quadrupolar species, such as metastable alkaline-earth atoms and homonuclear molecules, are stable against chemical reactions and collapse and are readily available in experiment at high densities.

Bond order solid of two-dimensional dipolar fermions.

The recent experimental realization of dipolar Fermi gases near or below quantum degeneracy provides an opportunity to engineer Hubbard-like models with long-range interactions. Motivated by these experiments, we chart out the theoretical phase diagram of interacting dipolar fermions on the square lattice at zero temperature and half filling. We show that, in addition to p-wave superfluid and charge density wave order, two new and exotic types of bond order emerge generically in dipolar fermion systems. These phases feature homogeneous density but periodic modulations of the kinetic hopping energy between nearest or next-nearest neighbors. Similar, but manifestly different, phases of two-dimensional correlated electrons have previously only been hypothesized and termed "density waves of nonzero angular momentum." Our results suggest that these phases can be constructed flexibly with dipolar fermions, using currently available experimental techniques.

Phase separated BEC for high-sensitivity force measurement.

A trapped, phase separated, two component Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) can be configured to give a single BEC bubble that floats freely in the surrounding BEC. We point out that this system gives a unique template to carry out mesoscopic quantum studies and to detect weak forces. We demonstrate the detection capabilities by proposing and studying a "quantum level" for fundamental quantum fluctuation studies and for mapping the potential energy landscape near a surface with exquisite accuracy.