Observation and quantification of the pseudogap in unitary Fermi gases

The microscopic origin of high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates remains unknown. It is widely believed that substantial progress could be achieved by better understanding of the pseudogap phase, a normal non-superconducting state of cuprates 1 , 2 . In particular, a central issue is whether the pseudogap could originate from strong pairing fluctuations 3 . Unitary Fermi gases 4 , 5 , in which the pseudogap—if it exists—necessarily arises from many-body pairing, offer ideal quantum simulators to address this question. Here we report the observation of a pair-fluctuation-driven pseudogap in homogeneous unitary Fermi gases of lithium-6 atoms, by precisely measuring the fermion spectral function through momentum-resolved microwave spectroscopy and without spurious effects from final-state interactions. The temperature dependence of the pairing gap, inverse pair lifetime and single-particle scattering rate are quantitatively determined by analysing the spectra. We find a large pseudogap above the superfluid transition temperature. The inverse pair lifetime exhibits a thermally activated exponential behaviour, uncovering the microscopic virtual pair breaking and recombination mechanism. The obtained large, temperature-independent single-particle scattering rate is comparable with that set by the Planckian limit 6 . Our findings quantitatively characterize the pseudogap in strongly interacting Fermi gases and they lend support for the role of preformed pairing as a precursor to superfluidity.