arXiv:1301.5071 · Physical Review A
Validity of a single-channel model for a spin-orbit-coupled atomic Fermi gas near Feshbach resonances
Jingxin Cui, Xia-Ji Liu, Gui Lu Long, Hui Hu
Abstract
We theoretically investigate a Rashba spin-orbit-coupled Fermi gas near Feshbach resonances, by using mean-field theory and a two-channel model that takes into account explicitly Feshbach molecules in the closed channel. In the absence of spin-orbit coupling, when the channel coupling $g$ between the closed and the open channels is strong, it is widely accepted that the two-channel model is equivalent to a single-channel model that excludes Feshbach molecules. This is the so-called broad resonance limit, which is well satisfied by ultracold atomic Fermi gases of ${}^{6}$Li atoms and ${}^{40}$K atoms in current experiments. Here, with Rashba spin-orbit coupling we find that the condition for equivalence becomes much more stringent. As a result, the single-channel model may already be insufficient to describe properly an atomic Fermi gas of ${}^{40}$K atoms at a moderate spin-orbit coupling. We determine a characteristic channel coupling strength ${g}_{c}$ as a function of the spin-orbit-coupling strength, above which the single-channel and two-channel models are approximately equivalent. We also find that for narrow resonance with small-channel coupling, the pairing gap and molecular fraction are strongly suppressed by SO coupling. Our results can be readily tested in ${}^{40}$K atoms by using optical molecular spectroscopy.