Spin-1/2 fermions: crossover from weak to strong attractive interaction

The formation and dissociation of bosonic molecules in an optical lattice, formed by spin-1/2 fermionic atoms, is considered in the presence of an attractive nearest-neighbor interaction. A mean-field approximation reveals three different phases at zero temperature: an empty, a condensate and a Mott-insulating phase. The density of fermionic atoms and the density of bosonic molecules indicate a characteristic behavior with respect to the interaction strength that distinguishes between a dilute and a dense regime. In particular, the attractive interaction favors the formation of molecules in the dilute regime and the dissociation of atoms in the dense regime.