Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1511.04873 · Physical Review A

Ground-state densities of repulsive two-component Fermi gases

Martin-Isbjörn Trappe, Piotr T. Grochowski, Mirosław Brewczyk, Kazimierz Rza̧żewski

Published Feb 8, 2016• 22 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We investigate separations of trapped balanced two-component atomic Fermi gases with repulsive contact interaction. Candidates for ground-state densities are obtained from the imaginary-time evolution of a nonlinear pseudo-Schr\"odinger equation in three dimensions, rather than from the cumbersome variational equations of the underlying energy density functional. With the employed hydrodynamical approach, gradient corrections to the Thomas-Fermi approximation are conveniently included and are shown to be vital for reliable density profiles. We provide critical repulsion strengths that mark the onset of phase transitions in a harmonic trap. We present transitions from identical density profiles of the two fermion species towards isotropic and anisotropic separations for various confinements, including harmonic and double-well-type traps. Our proposed method is suited for arbitrary trap geometries and can be straightforwardly extended to study dynamics in the light of ongoing experiments on degenerate Fermi gases.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.93.023612

Related papers

Phase transitions of repulsive two-component Fermi gases in two dimensions

Martin-Isbjörn Trappe, Piotr T. Grochowski, Jun Hao Hue +2 more

We predict the phase separations of two-dimensional Fermi gases with repulsive contact-type interactions between two spin components. Using density-potential functional theory with systematic semiclassical approximations, we address the long-standing problem of itinerant ferromagnetism in realistic settings. We reveal a universal transition from the paramagnetic state at small repulsive interactions toward ferromagnetic density profiles at large interaction strengths, with intricate particle-number dependent phases in between. Building on quantum Monte Carlo results for uniform systems, we benchmark our simulations against Hartree–Fock calculations for a small number of trapped fermions. We thereby demonstrate that our employed corrections to the bare contact interaction energy and especially to the Thomas–Fermi kinetic energy functional are necessary for reliably predicting properties of trapped mesoscopic Fermi gases. The density patterns of the ground state survive at low finite temperatures and confirm the Stoner-type polarization behavior across a universal interaction parameter, albeit with substantial quantitative differences that originate in the trapping potential and the quantum-corrected kinetic energy. We also uncover a plethora of metastable configurations that are energetically comparable to the ground-state density profiles and are thus likely to be observed in experiments. We argue that our density-functional approach can be easily applied to interacting multi-component Fermi gases in general.

arXiv:2106.01068•New Journal of Physics•Sep 29, 2021•8 citations

Two-component Fermi Gas in a Harmonic Trap

X. X. Yi, H J Wang, H. T. Cui +1 more

We consider a mixture of two-component Fermi gases at low temperature. The density profile of this degenerate Fermi gas is calculated under the semiclassical approximation. The results show that the fermion-fermion interactions make a large correction to the density profile at low temperature. The phase separation of such a mixture is also discussed for both attractive and repulsive interatomic interactions, and the numerical calculations demonstrate the existance of a stable temperature region T c1 < T < T c2 for the mixture. In addition, we give the critical temperature of the BCS-type transition in this system beyond the semiclassical approximation.

arXiv:quant-ph/0305133•Physica Scripta•Jan 1, 2002•0 citations

Phase separation of a repulsive two-component Fermi gas at the two- to three-dimensional crossover

Piotr T. Grochowski, Martin-Isbjörn Trappe, Tomasz Karpiuk +1 more

We present a theoretical analysis of phase separations between two repulsively interacting components in an ultracold fermionic gas, occurring at the dimensional crossover in a harmonic trap with varying aspect ratios. A tailored kinetic energy functional is derived and combined with a density-potential functional approach to develop a framework that is benchmarked with the orbital-based method. We investigate the changes in the density profile of the phase-separated gas under different interaction strengths and geometries. The analysis reveals the existence of small, partially polarized domains in certain parameter regimes, which is similar to the purely two-dimensional limit. However, the density profile is further enriched by a shell structure found in anisotropic traps. We also track the transitions that can be driven by a change in either interaction strength or trap geometry. The developed framework is noted to have applications for other systems with repulsive interactions that combine continuous and discrete degrees of freedom.

arXiv:2311.05963•Physical Review A•Aug 27, 2024•3 citations

Self-trapping of Fermi and Bose gases under spatially modulated repulsive nonlinearity and transverse confinement

Luis E. Young-S., Luca Salasnich, Boris A. Malomed

We show that self-localized ground states can be created in the spin-balanced gas of fermions with repulsion between the spin components, whose strength grows from the center to periphery, in combination with the harmonic-oscillator (HO) trapping potential acting in one or two transverse directions. We also consider the ground state in the noninteracting Fermi gas under the action of the spatially growing tightness of the one- or two-dimensional (1D or 2D) HO confinement. These settings are considered in the framework of the Thomas-Fermi--von Weizs\"acker (TF--vW) density functional. It is found that the vW correction to the simple TF approximation (the gradient term) is nearly negligible in all situations. The properties of the ground state under the action of the 2D and 1D HO confinement with the tightness growing in the transverse directions are investigated too for the Bose-Einstein condensate with the self-repulsive nonlinearity.

arXiv:1303.6441•Physical Review A•Apr 4, 2013•12 citations

Repulsive Fermi gas in a harmonic trap: Ferromagnetism and spin textures

Lindsay J. LeBlanc, Joseph H. Thywissen, A. A. Burkov +1 more

We study ferromagnetism in a repulsively interacting two-component Fermi gas in a harmonic trap. Within a local density approximation, the two components phase separate beyond a critical interaction strength, with one species having a higher density at the trap center. We discuss several easily observable experimental signatures of this transition. The mean-field release energy, its separate kinetic and interaction contributions, as well as the potential energy all depend on the interaction strength and contain a sharp signature of this transition. In addition, the conversion rate of atoms to molecules, arising from three-body collisions, peaks at an interaction strength just beyond the ferromagnetic transition point. We then go beyond the local density approximation and derive an energy functional that includes a term that depends on the local magnetization gradient and acts as a ``surface tension.'' Using this energy functional, we numerically study the energetics of some candidate spin textures that may be stabilized in a harmonic trapping potential at zero net magnetization. We find that a hedgehog state has a lower energy than an ``in-out'' domain-wall state in an isotropic trap. Upon inclusion of trap anisotropy we find that the hedgehog magnetization profile gets distorted due to the surface tension term, this distortion being more apparent for small atom numbers. We estimate that the magnetic dipole interaction does not play a significant role in this system. We consider possible implications for experiments on trapped $^{6}\text{L}\text{i}$ and $^{40}\text{K}$ gases.

arXiv:0903.5343•Physical Review A•Jul 13, 2009•68 citations

Component separation in harmonically trapped boson-fermion mixtures

Nicolai Gayle Nygaard, Klaus Mølmer

We present a numerical study of mixed boson-fermion systems at zero temperature in isotropic and anisotropic harmonic traps. We investigate the phenomenon of component separation as a function of the strength of the interparticle interaction. While solving a Gross-Pitaevskii mean-field equation for the boson distribution in the trap, we utilize two different methods to extract the density profile of the fermion component; a semiclassical Thomas-Fermi approximation and a quantum-mechanical Slater determinant Schr\"odinger equation.

arXiv:cond-mat/9901160•Physical Review A•Apr 1, 1999•80 citations
We investigate separations of trapped balanced two-component atomic Fermi gases with repulsive contact interaction. Candidates for ground-state densities are obtained from the imaginary-time evolution of a nonlinear pseudo-Schr"odinger equation in three dimensions, rather than from the cumbersome variational equations of the underlying energy density functional. With the employed hydrodynamical approach, gradient corrections to the Thomas-Fermi approximation are conveniently included and are shown to be vital for reliable density profiles. We provide critical repulsion strengths that mark the onset of phase transitions in a harmonic trap. We present transitions from identical density profiles of the two fermion species towards isotropic and anisotropic separations for various confinements, including harmonic and double-well-type traps. Our proposed method is suited for arbitrary trap geometries and can be straightforwardly extended to study dynamics in the light of ongoing experiments on degenerate Fermi gases.
We predict the phase separations of two-dimensional Fermi gases with repulsive contact-type interactions between two spin components. Using density-potential functional theory with systematic semiclassical approximations, we address the long-standing problem of itinerant ferromagnetism in realistic settings. We reveal a universal transition from the paramagnetic state at small repulsive interactions toward ferromagnetic density profiles at large interaction strengths, with intricate particle-number dependent phases in between. Building on quantum Monte Carlo results for uniform systems, we benchmark our simulations against Hartree–Fock calculations for a small number of trapped fermions. We thereby demonstrate that our employed corrections to the bare contact interaction energy and especially to the Thomas–Fermi kinetic energy functional are necessary for reliably predicting properties of trapped mesoscopic Fermi gases. The density patterns of the ground state survive at low finite temperatures and confirm the Stoner-type polarization behavior across a universal interaction parameter, albeit with substantial quantitative differences that originate in the trapping potential and the quantum-corrected kinetic energy. We also uncover a plethora of metastable configurations that are energetically comparable to the ground-state density profiles and are thus likely to be observed in experiments. We argue that our density-functional approach can be easily applied to interacting multi-component Fermi gases in general.
We consider a mixture of two-component Fermi gases at low temperature. The density profile of this degenerate Fermi gas is calculated under the semiclassical approximation. The results show that the fermion-fermion interactions make a large correction to the density profile at low temperature. The phase separation of such a mixture is also discussed for both attractive and repulsive interatomic interactions, and the numerical calculations demonstrate the existance of a stable temperature region T c1 < T < T c2 for the mixture. In addition, we give the critical temperature of the BCS-type transition in this system beyond the semiclassical approximation.
We present a theoretical analysis of phase separations between two repulsively interacting components in an ultracold fermionic gas, occurring at the dimensional crossover in a harmonic trap with varying aspect ratios. A tailored kinetic energy functional is derived and combined with a density-potential functional approach to develop a framework that is benchmarked with the orbital-based method. We investigate the changes in the density profile of the phase-separated gas under different interaction strengths and geometries. The analysis reveals the existence of small, partially polarized domains in certain parameter regimes, which is similar to the purely two-dimensional limit. However, the density profile is further enriched by a shell structure found in anisotropic traps. We also track the transitions that can be driven by a change in either interaction strength or trap geometry. The developed framework is noted to have applications for other systems with repulsive interactions that combine continuous and discrete degrees of freedom.
We show that self-localized ground states can be created in the spin-balanced gas of fermions with repulsion between the spin components, whose strength grows from the center to periphery, in combination with the harmonic-oscillator (HO) trapping potential acting in one or two transverse directions. We also consider the ground state in the noninteracting Fermi gas under the action of the spatially growing tightness of the one- or two-dimensional (1D or 2D) HO confinement. These settings are considered in the framework of the Thomas-Fermi--von Weizs\"acker (TF--vW) density functional. It is found that the vW correction to the simple TF approximation (the gradient term) is nearly negligible in all situations. The properties of the ground state under the action of the 2D and 1D HO confinement with the tightness growing in the transverse directions are investigated too for the Bose-Einstein condensate with the self-repulsive nonlinearity.
We study ferromagnetism in a repulsively interacting two-component Fermi gas in a harmonic trap. Within a local density approximation, the two components phase separate beyond a critical interaction strength, with one species having a higher density at the trap center. We discuss several easily observable experimental signatures of this transition. The mean-field release energy, its separate kinetic and interaction contributions, as well as the potential energy all depend on the interaction strength and contain a sharp signature of this transition. In addition, the conversion rate of atoms to molecules, arising from three-body collisions, peaks at an interaction strength just beyond the ferromagnetic transition point. We then go beyond the local density approximation and derive an energy functional that includes a term that depends on the local magnetization gradient and acts as a ``surface tension.'' Using this energy functional, we numerically study the energetics of some candidate spin textures that may be stabilized in a harmonic trapping potential at zero net magnetization. We find that a hedgehog state has a lower energy than an ``in-out'' domain-wall state in an isotropic trap. Upon inclusion of trap anisotropy we find that the hedgehog magnetization profile gets distorted due to the surface tension term, this distortion being more apparent for small atom numbers. We estimate that the magnetic dipole interaction does not play a significant role in this system. We consider possible implications for experiments on trapped 6Li^{6}\text{L}\text{i}6Li and 40K^{40}\text{K}40K gases.
We present a numerical study of mixed boson-fermion systems at zero temperature in isotropic and anisotropic harmonic traps. We investigate the phenomenon of component separation as a function of the strength of the interparticle interaction. While solving a Gross-Pitaevskii mean-field equation for the boson distribution in the trap, we utilize two different methods to extract the density profile of the fermion component; a semiclassical Thomas-Fermi approximation and a quantum-mechanical Slater determinant Schr\"odinger equation.