Disconnected and multiply connected spectra in the 2D attractive Hubbard model

Abstract: Fermi gases and liquids display an excitation spectrum that is simply connected, ensuring closed Fermi surfaces. In strongly correlated systems like the cuprate superconductors, the existence of open sheets of Fermi surface known as Fermi arcs indicates a distinctly different topology of the spectrum with no equivalent in Fermi liquid theory. Here, we demonstrate a generic mechanism by which correlation effects in fermionic systems can change the topology of the spectrum. Using diagrammatic Monte Carlo simulations, we demonstrate the existence of disconnected and multiply connected excitation spectra in the attractive Hubbard model in the BCS-BEC cross-over regime. These topologically nontrivial spectra are a prerequisite for Fermi arcs.