Principal Investigator Martin Zwierlein
Precise understanding of strongly interacting fermions, from electrons in modern materials to nuclear matter, presents a major goal in modern physics. However, the theoretical description of interacting Fermi systems is usually plagued by the intricate quantum statistics at play. Here we present a cross-validation between a new theoretical approach, Bold Diagrammatic Monte Carlo (BDMC), and precision experiments on ultra-cold atoms. Specifically, we compute and measure with unprecedented accuracy the normal-state equation of state of the unitary gas, a prototypical example of a strongly correlated fermionic system. Excellent agreement demonstrates that a series of Feynman diagrams can be controllably resummed in a non-perturbative regime using BDMC. This opens the door to the solution of some of the most challenging problems across many areas of physics.