Moving perturbation in a one-dimensional Fermi gas

Abstract

We simulate a balanced attractively interacting two-component Fermi gas in a one-dimensional lattice perturbed with a moving potential well or barrier. Using the time-evolving block decimation (TEBD) method, we study different velocities of the perturbation and distinguish two velocity regimes based on clear differences in the time evolution of particle densities and the pair correlation function. We show that, in the slow regime, the densities deform as particles are either attracted by the potential well or repelled by the barrier, and a wave front of hole or particle excitations propagates at the maximum group velocity. Simultaneously, the initial pair correlations are broken and coherence over different sites is lost. In contrast, in the fast regime, the densities are not considerably deformed and the pair correlations are preserved. © 2014 American Physical Society.