Observation of Nagaoka polarons in a Fermi–Hubbard quantum simulator

Martin Lebrat, Muqing Xu, Lev Haldar Kendrick, Anant Kale, Youqi Gang, Pranav Seetharaman, Ivan Morera, Ehsan Khatami, Eugene Demler and Markus Greiner ()
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Martin Lebrat: Harvard University
Muqing Xu: Harvard University
Lev Haldar Kendrick: Harvard University
Anant Kale: Harvard University
Youqi Gang: Harvard University
Pranav Seetharaman: San José State University
Ivan Morera: Universitat de Barcelona
Ehsan Khatami: San José State University
Eugene Demler: ETH Zurich
Markus Greiner: Harvard University

Nature, 2024, vol. 629, issue 8011, 317-322

Abstract: Abstract Quantum interference can deeply alter the nature of many-body phases of matter1. In the case of the Hubbard model, Nagaoka proved that introducing a single itinerant charge can transform a paramagnetic insulator into a ferromagnet through path interference2–4. However, a microscopic observation of this kinetic magnetism induced by individually imaged dopants has been so far elusive. Here we demonstrate the emergence of Nagaoka polarons in a Hubbard system realized with strongly interacting fermions in a triangular optical lattice5,6. Using quantum gas microscopy, we image these polarons as extended ferromagnetic bubbles around particle dopants arising from the local interplay of coherent dopant motion and spin exchange. By contrast, kinetic frustration due to the triangular geometry promotes antiferromagnetic polarons around hole dopants7. Our work augurs the exploration of exotic quantum phases driven by charge motion in strongly correlated systems and over sizes that are challenging for numerical simulation8–10.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07272-9

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