We investigate the Mott transitions of three-component (colors) repulsive fermionic atoms in optical lattices using the dynamical mean-field theory. We find that for SU(3) symmetry-breaking interactions, the Mott transition occurs at incommensurate half filling. As a result, a characteristic Mott insulating state appears, where paired atoms with two different colors and atoms with the third color are localized, and either of these states is randomly distributed in each site. We also find another Mott state, where atoms with two different colors are randomly localized at different sites, and atoms with the third color remain itinerant. We demonstrate that double occupancy measurements show characteristics of these exotic Mott phases.

We investigate three-component (colors) repulsive fermionic atoms in optical lattices using the dynamical mean-field theory. Depending on the anisotropy of the repulsive interactions, either a color density-wave state or a color-selective staggered state appears at half filling. In the former state, pairs of atoms with two of the three colors and atoms with the third color occupy different sites alternately. In the latter state, atoms with two of the three colors occupy different sites alternately and atoms with the third color are itinerant throughout the system. When the interactions are isotropic, both states are degenerate. We discuss the results using an effective model.

No abstract

No abstract