Finite-temperature properties of attractive three-component fermionic atoms in optical lattices

Abstract

We investigate the finite-temperature properties of attractive three-component (colors) fermionic atoms in optical lattices using a self-energy functional approach. As the strength of the attractive interaction increases in the low-temperature region, we observe a second-order transition from a Fermi liquid to a color superfluid (CSF), where atoms from two of the three colors form Cooper pairs. In the strong attractive region, we observe a first-order transition from a CSF to a trionic state, where three atoms with different colors form singlet bound states. A crossover between a Fermi liquid and a trionic state is observed in the high-temperature region. We present a phase diagram covering zero to finite temperatures. We demonstrate that the CSF transition temperature is enhanced by the anisotropy of the attractive interaction.