Controlled symmetry breaking of the Fermi surface in ultracold polar molecules

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates controlled deformation of the Fermi surface in ultracold polar molecules due to dipole-dipole interactions, with tunable symmetry and strong agreement with theoretical predictions, advancing the study of strongly correlated dipolar Fermi systems.

Contribution

It reports the first observation of interaction-induced Fermi surface deformation in ultracold polar molecules with tunable symmetry, using double microwave shielding to suppress losses.

Findings

Fermi surface deformations up to 7% observed

Three-fold suppression of inelastic losses with double MW shielding

Excellent agreement with Hartree-Fock theory

Abstract

Long-range anisotropic dipole-dipole interactions between ultracold polar molecules are predicted to drive exotic quantum phases, yet direct many-body signatures of these interactions in degenerate Fermi gases have remained elusive. Here, we report the observation of an interaction-induced controlled deformation of the Fermi surface, providing a clear many-body signature in a deeply degenerate Fermi gas of $^{23}\text{Na}^{40}\text{K}$ molecules. Using double microwave (MW) shielding, we prepare $8 \times 10^3$ molecules at $0.23(1)$ times the Fermi temperature, achieving a three-fold suppression of inelastic losses compared to single MW shielding while preserving strong elastic dipolar scattering. We observe Fermi surface deformations of up to $7\,\%$, more than two times larger than those observed in magnetic atoms, despite operating at two orders of magnitude lower densities. Crucially, we demonstrate continuous tuning of the interaction potential from axial U(1) to biaxial C$_{2}$ symmetry, directly imprinting this geometry onto the Fermi surface. We find excellent agreement between our experimental results and parameter-free Hartree-Fock theory. These results establish MW-shielded polar molecules as a highly tunable platform for exploring strongly correlated dipolar Fermi matter and offer a promising path towards topological superfluidity.