Creating a bosonic fractional quantum Hall state by pairing fermions

We numerically study the behavior of spin-1/2 fermions on a two-dimensional square lattice subject to a uniform magnetic field, where opposite spins interact via an on-site attractive interaction. Starting from the noninteracting case where each spin population is prepared in a quantum Hall state with unity filling, we follow the evolution of the system as the interaction strength is increased. Above a critical value and for sufficiently low flux density, we observe the emergence of a twofold quasidegeneracy accompanied by the opening of an energy gap to the third level. Analysis of the entanglement spectra shows that the gapped ground state is the bosonic 1/2 Laughlin state. Our work therefore provides compelling evidence of a topological phase transition from the fermionic quantum Hall state at unity filling to the bosonic Laughlin state at a critical attraction strength of the order of the one-body spectrum linewidth