F-wave pairing of cold atoms in optical lattices

The tremendous development of cold atom physics has opened up a whole new opportunity to study novel states of matter which are not easily accessible in solid-state systems. Here we propose to realize the f-wave pairing superfluidity of spinless fermions in p(x,y)-orbital bands of two-dimensional honeycomb optical lattices. The nontrivial orbital band structure, rather than strong correlation effects, gives rise to the unconventional pairing with the nodal lines of the f-wave symmetry. With a confining harmonic trap, zero-energy Andreev bound states appear around the circular boundary with a sixfold symmetry. The experimental realization and detection of this novel pairing state are feasible.