Observation of 2D fermionic Mott insulators of ${}^{40}$K with single-site resolution

Abstract

We report on the site-resolved observation of characteristic states of the two-dimensional repulsive Fermi-Hubbard model, using ultracold ${}^{40}$K atoms in an optical lattice. By varying the tunneling, interaction strength, and external confinement, we realize metallic, Mott-insulating, and band-insulating states. We directly measure the local moment, which quantifies the degree of on-site magnetization, as a function of temperature and chemical potential. Entropies per particle as low as $0.99(6)k_B$ indicate that nearest-neighbor antiferromagnetic correlations should be detectable using spin-sensitive imaging.

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