From mixD to 2D: quantum simulations of doped Fermi-Hubbard model

Quantum simulation using ultracold atoms has emerged as a powerful tool for studying strongly correlated matter which is essential to the investigation of many classes of unconventional superconductors. We use ultracold fermionic ⁶Li atoms loaded into optical superlattices and conduct site-resolved measurements of their spin and density. Using optical superlattices, we can engineer mixed-dimensional system in which the pairing energy of dopants is boosted. This enables us to observe hole pairing in 2D and extended density structures which could be viewed as precursors of stripe phases. Furthermore, quantum gas microscopy allows us to probe local multi-point correlators of spin and charge around mobile dopants, as a function of doping and temperature. We find dominant 4^th and 5^th order correlations which help us explore the onset of the much-debated pseudogap phase.