Criticality and dual superfluidity
Low temperature matter exhibits a spectacular variety of highly ordered states that occur through phase
transitions. In quantum systems, phase transitions and associated critical phenomena constitute a central
issue of modern physics. Wilson’s theory of renormalization showed that very different physical systems
could be unified under the same universality class characterized by critical exponents. The high degree of
control offered by ultracold atom experiments sets them as an ideal platform for the investigation of phase
transitions and critical phenomena.
CRITISUP2 aims at exploring criticality in superfluid spin ½ Fermi gases where the interplay between
temperature spin polarization and interactions is at the origin of a rich phase diagram and a variety of phase
transitions. We will measure the corresponding static and dynamic critical exponents, and search for the
long-sought Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) phase predicted over 50 years ago. We will also
study the phase diagram and critical counterflow of dual Bose-Fermi superfluids which have emerged as a
new paradigm of quantum matter. Cutting-edge Bold Diagrammatic Monte Carlo and new resummation
methods, developed in-house, will be confronted to the experiments on the one hand, and provide answers to
debated questions on the other.
The expected outcomes of CRITISUP2 will constitute a major leap forward relevant for several fields of
modern physics, ranging from condensed-matter to astrophysics, nuclear physics, and high energy physics.