Mixed triplet and singlet pairing in multicomponent ultracold fermion systems with dipolar interactions

Abstract

The symmetry properties of the Cooper pairing problem for multi-component ultra-cold dipolar molecular systems are investigated. The dipolar anisotropy provides a natural and robust mechanism for both triplet and singlet Cooper pairing to first order in the interaction strength. With a purely dipolar interaction, the triplet $p_z$-like polar pairing is the most dominant. A short-range attractive interaction can enhance the singlet pairing to be nearly degenerate with the triplet pairing. We point out that these two pairing channels can mix by developing a relative phase of $\pm\frac{\pi}{2}$, thus spontaneously breaking time-reversal symmetry. We also suggest the possibility of such mixing of triplet and singlet pairing in other systems.