Mainz 2026 – scientific programme
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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 76: Ultra-cold Atoms, Ions and BEC V (joint session A/Q)
Q 76.6: Talk
Friday, March 6, 2026, 12:30–12:45, N 1
Quantum Simulation of Excitons in Ultracold Dipolar Fermi Gases in Optical Lattices — •Florian Hirsch1, Oriana Diessel2, Rafal Oldziejewski3, and Richard Schmidt1 — 1Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany — 2ITAMP, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, US — 3Max-Planck- Institute of Quantum Optics, Hans-Kopfermann-Strasse 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
Ultracold atoms have emerged as a powerful platform for simulating condensed matter phenomena, offering insights into effects difficult to analyze in detail in solid-state systems. Inspired by the progress on the study of exciton physics in atomically thin semiconductors, we investigate the formation of analogs of excitons in cold atomic systems. Using dipolar Fermions in a hexagonal optical lattice with an energy offset between trigonal sublattices, we predict the existence of cold atomic excitons and show that cold atoms allow to study excitons across the whole interaction range, from weak interactions when electron mass models can be applied to flat band models at strong interactions. We demonstrate how these excitons can be observed using lattice modulation spectroscopy, and we show that both time-of-flight spectroscopy and high-resolution quantum gas microscopy can be used to map out the exciton wavefunction. Establishing the core idea of quantum simulation of semiconductor physics, this work lays the foundation for simulating complex electronic states found in semiconductors, including trions, polarons, exciton insulators and condensates.
Keywords: Dipolar Fermi Gas; Semiconductor Physics; Optical Lattice; Ultracold Atoms