Asymptotic correlation functions and FFLO signature for the one-dimensional attractive spin-1/2 Fermi gas

Abstract

We investigate the long distance asymptotics of various correlation functions for the one-dimensional spin-1/2 Fermi gas with attractive interactions using the dressed charge formalism. In the spin polarized phase, these correlation functions exhibit spatial oscillations with a power-law decay whereby their critical exponents are found through conformal field theory. We show that spatial oscillations of the leading terms in the pair correlation function and the spin correlation function solely depend on $\Delta k_F$ and $2\Delta k_F$, respectively. Here $\Delta k_F=\pi(n_{\uparrow}-n_{\downarrow})$ denotes the mismatch between the Fermi surfaces of spin-up and spin-down fermions. Such spatial modulations are characteristics of a Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) state. Our key observation is that backscattering among the Fermi points of bound pairs and unpaired fermions results in a one-dimensional analog of the FFLO state and displays a microscopic origin of the FFLO nature. Furthermore, we show that the pair correlation function in momentum space has a peak at the point of mismatch between both Fermi surfaces $k=\Delta k_F$, which has recently been observed in numerous numerical studies.