On confined fractional charges: a simple model

Abstract

We address the question whether features known from quantum chromodynamics (QCD) can possibly also show up in solid-state physics. It is shown that spinless fermions of charge $e$ on a checkerboard lattice with nearest-neighbor repulsion provide for a simple model of confined fractional charges. After defining a proper vacuum the system supports excitations with charges $\pm e/2$ attached to the ends of strings. There is a constant confining force acting between the fractional charges. It results from a reduction of vacuum fluctuations and a polarization of the vacuum in the vicinity of the connecting strings.

5 pages, 3 figures

References in corpus (1)

• Spectral functions and optical conductivity of spinless fermions on a checkerboard lattice

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Correlated Fermions on a Checkerboard Lattice
• Superfluid Insulator Transitions of Hard-Core Bosons on the Checkerboard Lattice
• Plaquette bond order wave in the quarter-filled extended Hubbard model on the checkerboard lattice
• Strings in strongly correlated electron systems
• Charge degrees in the quarter-filled checkerboard lattice