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:2511.02664 · Nature Physics

Angular momentum of rotating fermionic superfluids by Sagnac phonon interferometry

Marcia Frómeta Fernández, Diego Hernández Rajkov, Giulia Del Pace, Nicola Grani, Massimo Inguscio, Francesco Scazza, Sandro Stringari, Giacomo Roati

cond-mat.quant-gasphysics.atom-phquant-phSubmitted Nov 4, 2025• Announced Nov 5, 2025• 1 citation• Revised Nov 5, 2025 (v2)
v1 · Nov 4, 2025v2 · Nov 5, 2025
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Fermionic many-body systems provide an unrivaled arena to investigate how interactions drive the emergence of collective quantum behavior, such as macroscopic coherence and superfluidity. Central to these phenomena is the formation of Cooper pairs, correlated states of two fermions that behave as composite bosons and condense below a critical temperature. However, unlike elementary bosons, these pairs retain their internal structure set by underlying fermionic correlations, essential for understanding superfluid properties throughout the so-called Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) to Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) crossover -- a cornerstone of strongly correlated fermionic matter. Here, we harness a sonic analog of the optical Sagnac effect to disclose the composite nature of fermionic condensates across the BEC-BCS crossover. We realize an in-situ loop interferometer by coherently exciting two counter-propagating long-wavelength phonons of an annular fermionic superfluid with tuneable interparticle interactions. The frequency degeneracy between clock- and anticlock-wise sound modes is lifted upon controllably injecting a quantized supercurrent in the superfluid ring, resulting in a measurable Doppler shift that enables us to probe the elementary quantum of circulation and the angular momentum carried by each particle in the fermionic fluid. Our observations directly reveal that the superflow circulation is quantized in terms of $h/2m$, where $m$ is the mass of the constituents, in striking contrast to bosonic condensates where $h/m$ is the relevant circulation quantum. Further, by operating our interferometer at tunable temperature, we measure the thermal depletion of the superfluid in the unitary Fermi gas, demonstrating phonon interferometry as a powerful technique for probing fundamental properties of strongly-correlated quantum systems.

Journal reference
Nat. Phys. (2026)
DOI
10.1038/s41567-026-03349-6

Related papers

Excitation Spectrum and Superfluid Gap of an Ultracold Fermi Gas

Hauke Biss, Lennart Sobirey, Niclas Luick +5 more

Ultracold atomic gases are a powerful tool to experimentally study strongly correlated quantum many-body systems. In particular, ultracold Fermi gases with tunable interactions have allowed to realize the famous BEC-BCS crossover from a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of molecules to a Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) superfluid of weakly bound Cooper pairs. However, large parts of the excitation spectrum of fermionic superfluids in the BEC-BCS crossover are still unexplored. In this work, we use Bragg spectroscopy to measure the full momentum-resolved low-energy excitation spectrum of strongly interacting ultracold Fermi gases. This enables us to directly observe the smooth transformation from a bosonic to a fermionic superfluid that takes place in the BEC-BCS crossover. We also use our spectra to determine the evolution of the superfluid gap and find excellent agreement with previous experiments and self-consistent T-matrix calculations both in the BEC and crossover regime. However, toward the BCS regime a calculation that includes the effects of particle-hole correlations shows better agreement with our data.

arXiv:2105.09820•Physical Review Letters•Mar 8, 2022•71 citations

BCS – BEC crossover, collective excitations, and hydrodynamics of superfluid quantum liquids and gases

M. Yu. Kagan, Andrei V. Turlapov

Abstract A Fermi gas described within the Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) theory can be converted into a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) of composite molecules (dimers) by adiabatically tuning the interaction. The sequence of states that emerge in the process of such a conversion is referred to as the BCS–BEC crossover. We here review the theoretical and experimental results obtained for the BCS–BEC crossover in three- and quasi-two-dimensional quantum gases in the limiting geometry of traps and on optical lattices. We discuss nontrivial phenomena in the hydrodynamics of superfluid quantum gases and fluids, including the collective excitation spectrum in the BCS–BEC crossover, the hydrodynamics of rotating Bose condensates containing a large number of quantized vortices, and the intriguing problem of the chiral anomaly in the hydrodynamics of superfluid Fermi systems with an anisotropic p-wave pairing. We also analyze spin-imbalanced quantum gases and the potential to realize the triplet p-wave pairing via the Kohn–Luttinger mechanism in those gases. Recent results on two-dimensional Fermi-gas preparation and the observation of fluctuation phenomena related to the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless transition in those gases are also reviewed. We briefly discuss the recent experimental discovery of the BCS–BEC crossover and anomalous superconductivity in bilayer graphene and the role of graphene, other Dirac semimetals (for example, bismuth), and 2D optical lattices as potential reference systems that exhibit all of the effects reviewed here.

Physics-Uspekhi•Nov 4, 2018•37 citations

FERMIONIC SUPERFLUIDITY AND THE BEC-BCS CROSSOVER IN ULTRACOLD ATOMIC FERMI GASES

Martin W. Zwierlein

In our recent experiments at MIT, superfluidity has been observed in a strongly interacting atomic Fermi gas. These systems constitute a novel form of matter with model character: One can vary the temperature, density and dimensionality, the number of “spin up” versus “spin down” fermions, and, most remarkably, the interactions can be precisely controlled over an enormous range. This allows to study the crossover of a Bose-Einstein condensate of tightly bound molecules to a Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer superfluid of long-range Cooper pairs. Superfluidity in this crossover regime is demonstrated by setting the gas under rotation and observing ordered lattices of quantized vortices [1]. Thanks to its strong interactions, the gas is a high-temperature superfluid: Scaled to the density of electrons in a metal, superfluidity would occur already far above room temperature. A new regime is entered when the number of spin up versus spin down atoms is imbalanced. In this case, not every spin up atom can find a spin down partner. The ground state of such a system has been under debate for over 40 years. We observe the breakdown of superfluidity at a critical imbalance, the Chandrasekhar-Clogston limit [2]. The superfluid gives way to an intriguing, strongly-interacting Fermi gas with unequal spin populations [3, 4].

Foundations of Quantum Mechanics in the Light of New Technology•Jun 1, 2009•0 citations

BCS to BEC evolution and quantum phase transitions in superfluid Fermi gases

M. Iskin

This thesis focuses on the analysis of Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) \nto Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) evolution in ultracold superfluid \nFermi gases when the interaction between atoms is varied. The tuning of \nattractive interactions permits the ground state of the system to evolve from a weak \nfermion attraction BCS limit of loosely bound and largely overlapping Cooper pairs \nto a strong fermion attraction limit of tightly bound small bosonic molecules \nwhich undergo BEC. \nThis evolution is accompanied by anomalous behavior of many superfluid \nproperties, and reveals several quantum phase transitions. \nThis thesis has two parts: \nIn the first part, I analyze zero and nonzero orbital angular momentum \npairing effects, and show that a quantum phase transition occurs for \nnonzero angular momentum pairing, unlike the $s$-wave case where the BCS \nto BEC evolution is just a crossover. \nIn the second part, I analyze two-species fermion mixtures with mass and \npopulation imbalance in continuum, trap and lattice models. In contrast with \nthe crossover physics found in the mass and population balanced mixtures, \nI demonstrate the existence of phase transitions between normal and \nsuperfluid phases, as well as phase separation between superfluid (paired) \nand normal (excess) fermions in imbalanced mixtures as a function of scattering \nparameter and mass and population imbalance.

•Jun 29, 2007•0 citations

Precision Measurement of the Sound Velocity in an Ultracold Fermi Gas Through the BEC-BCS Crossover

James A. Joseph

A trapped Fermi gas near a collisional resonance provides a unique laboratory for testing many-body theories in a variety of fields. The ultracold Fermi gas produced in our lab is comprised of the lowest two spin states of $^6$Li. At 834 G there is a collisional or Feshbach resonance between the two spin states. The scattering length between trapped atoms of opposing spins far exceeds the interparticle spacing of the gas. On resonance, a strongly interacting, unitary, Fermi gas is created which exhibits universal behavior. The unitary Fermi gas is a prototype for other exotic systems in nature from nuclear matter to neutron stars and high temperature superconductors. \n For magnetic fields less than 834 G the scattering length is positive, and pairs Fermi atoms can form molecular dimers. These dimers, comprised of two fermions, are bosons. At ultracold temperatures the molecular bosons populate the lowest energy level and form a Bose Einstein Condensate (BEC). For magnetic fields greater than 834G the scattering length between fermions in opposing spin states is negative, like Cooper pairs formed between electrons in a superconductor. The Bardeen, Cooper, and Shriefer (BCS) theory was developed to describe the pairing effect in the context of superconductors. In our experiment we produce an ultracold unitary gas. By tuning the magnetic field to either side of the Feshbach resonance we can transform the gas into a weakly interacting BEC or BCS superfluid. Therefore, the region near a Feshbach resonance is called the BEC-BCS crossover. \n This dissertation presents a precision measurement of the hydrodynamic sound velocity in an ultracold Fermi gas near a Feshbach resonance. The sound velocity is measured at various magnetic fields both above and below resonance. Moreover, we are able compare our measurements to theoretical descriptions of hydrodynamic sound propagation. Further, our measurement of sound velocity exactly reproduces the non-perturbative case, eliminating the need to consider nonlinear effects. At resonance the sound velocity exhibits universal scaling with the Fermi velocity to within 1.8\\% over a factor of 30 in density. In a near zero temperature unitary gas the average sound velocity at the axial center was measured, $c(0)/v_F$ = 0.364(0.005), as well as the universal constant, $\\beta$ = -0.565(0.015). The measurement of sound velocity in an ultracold gas throughout the BEC-BCS crossover provides further evidence of the continuous connection between the physics of the BEC, unitary, and BCS systems.

•Jan 1, 2010•2 citations

Nonzero orbital angular momentum superfluidity in ultracold Fermi gases

M. Iskin, C. A. R. Sá de Melo

We analyze the evolution of superfluidity for nonzero orbital angular momentum channels from the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) to the Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) limit in three dimensions. First, we analyze the low-energy scattering properties of finite range interactions for all possible angular momentum channels. Second, we discuss ground-state $(T=0)$ superfluid properties including the order parameter, chemical potential, quasiparticle excitation spectrum, momentum distribution, atomic compressibility, ground-state energy, and low-energy collective excitations. We show that a quantum phase transition occurs for nonzero angular momentum pairing, unlike the $s$-wave case where the BCS to BEC evolution is just a crossover. Third, we present a Gaussian fluctuation theory near the critical temperature $(T={T}_{\mathrm{c}})$, and we analyze the number of bound, scattering, and unbound fermions as well as the chemical potential. Finally, we derive the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau functional near ${T}_{\mathrm{c}}$, and compare the Ginzburg-Landau coherence length with the zero-temperature average Cooper pair size.

arXiv:cond-mat/0602157•Physical Review A•Jul 13, 2006•29 citations
Fermionic many-body systems provide an unrivaled arena to investigate how interactions drive the emergence of collective quantum behavior, such as macroscopic coherence and superfluidity. Central to these phenomena is the formation of Cooper pairs, correlated states of two fermions that behave as composite bosons and condense below a critical temperature. However, unlike elementary bosons, these pairs retain their internal structure set by underlying fermionic correlations, essential for understanding superfluid properties throughout the so-called Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) to Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) crossover -- a cornerstone of strongly correlated fermionic matter. Here, we harness a sonic analog of the optical Sagnac effect to disclose the composite nature of fermionic condensates across the BEC-BCS crossover. We realize an in-situ loop interferometer by coherently exciting two counter-propagating long-wavelength phonons of an annular fermionic superfluid with tuneable interparticle interactions. The frequency degeneracy between clock- and anticlock-wise sound modes is lifted upon controllably injecting a quantized supercurrent in the superfluid ring, resulting in a measurable Doppler shift that enables us to probe the elementary quantum of circulation and the angular momentum carried by each particle in the fermionic fluid. Our observations directly reveal that the superflow circulation is quantized in terms of h/2mh/2mh/2m, where mmm is the mass of the constituents, in striking contrast to bosonic condensates where h/mh/mh/m is the relevant circulation quantum. Further, by operating our interferometer at tunable temperature, we measure the thermal depletion of the superfluid in the unitary Fermi gas, demonstrating phonon interferometry as a powerful technique for probing fundamental properties of strongly-correlated quantum systems.
Ultracold atomic gases are a powerful tool to experimentally study strongly correlated quantum many-body systems. In particular, ultracold Fermi gases with tunable interactions have allowed to realize the famous BEC-BCS crossover from a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of molecules to a Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) superfluid of weakly bound Cooper pairs. However, large parts of the excitation spectrum of fermionic superfluids in the BEC-BCS crossover are still unexplored. In this work, we use Bragg spectroscopy to measure the full momentum-resolved low-energy excitation spectrum of strongly interacting ultracold Fermi gases. This enables us to directly observe the smooth transformation from a bosonic to a fermionic superfluid that takes place in the BEC-BCS crossover. We also use our spectra to determine the evolution of the superfluid gap and find excellent agreement with previous experiments and self-consistent T-matrix calculations both in the BEC and crossover regime. However, toward the BCS regime a calculation that includes the effects of particle-hole correlations shows better agreement with our data.
Abstract A Fermi gas described within the Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) theory can be converted into a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) of composite molecules (dimers) by adiabatically tuning the interaction. The sequence of states that emerge in the process of such a conversion is referred to as the BCS–BEC crossover. We here review the theoretical and experimental results obtained for the BCS–BEC crossover in three- and quasi-two-dimensional quantum gases in the limiting geometry of traps and on optical lattices. We discuss nontrivial phenomena in the hydrodynamics of superfluid quantum gases and fluids, including the collective excitation spectrum in the BCS–BEC crossover, the hydrodynamics of rotating Bose condensates containing a large number of quantized vortices, and the intriguing problem of the chiral anomaly in the hydrodynamics of superfluid Fermi systems with an anisotropic p-wave pairing. We also analyze spin-imbalanced quantum gases and the potential to realize the triplet p-wave pairing via the Kohn–Luttinger mechanism in those gases. Recent results on two-dimensional Fermi-gas preparation and the observation of fluctuation phenomena related to the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless transition in those gases are also reviewed. We briefly discuss the recent experimental discovery of the BCS–BEC crossover and anomalous superconductivity in bilayer graphene and the role of graphene, other Dirac semimetals (for example, bismuth), and 2D optical lattices as potential reference systems that exhibit all of the effects reviewed here.
In our recent experiments at MIT, superfluidity has been observed in a strongly interacting atomic Fermi gas. These systems constitute a novel form of matter with model character: One can vary the temperature, density and dimensionality, the number of “spin up” versus “spin down” fermions, and, most remarkably, the interactions can be precisely controlled over an enormous range. This allows to study the crossover of a Bose-Einstein condensate of tightly bound molecules to a Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer superfluid of long-range Cooper pairs. Superfluidity in this crossover regime is demonstrated by setting the gas under rotation and observing ordered lattices of quantized vortices [1]. Thanks to its strong interactions, the gas is a high-temperature superfluid: Scaled to the density of electrons in a metal, superfluidity would occur already far above room temperature. A new regime is entered when the number of spin up versus spin down atoms is imbalanced. In this case, not every spin up atom can find a spin down partner. The ground state of such a system has been under debate for over 40 years. We observe the breakdown of superfluidity at a critical imbalance, the Chandrasekhar-Clogston limit [2]. The superfluid gives way to an intriguing, strongly-interacting Fermi gas with unequal spin populations [3, 4].
This thesis focuses on the analysis of Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) \nto Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) evolution in ultracold superfluid \nFermi gases when the interaction between atoms is varied. The tuning of \nattractive interactions permits the ground state of the system to evolve from a weak \nfermion attraction BCS limit of loosely bound and largely overlapping Cooper pairs \nto a strong fermion attraction limit of tightly bound small bosonic molecules \nwhich undergo BEC. \nThis evolution is accompanied by anomalous behavior of many superfluid \nproperties, and reveals several quantum phase transitions. \nThis thesis has two parts: \nIn the first part, I analyze zero and nonzero orbital angular momentum \npairing effects, and show that a quantum phase transition occurs for \nnonzero angular momentum pairing, unlike the sss-wave case where the BCS \nto BEC evolution is just a crossover. \nIn the second part, I analyze two-species fermion mixtures with mass and \npopulation imbalance in continuum, trap and lattice models. In contrast with \nthe crossover physics found in the mass and population balanced mixtures, \nI demonstrate the existence of phase transitions between normal and \nsuperfluid phases, as well as phase separation between superfluid (paired) \nand normal (excess) fermions in imbalanced mixtures as a function of scattering \nparameter and mass and population imbalance.
A trapped Fermi gas near a collisional resonance provides a unique laboratory for testing many-body theories in a variety of fields. The ultracold Fermi gas produced in our lab is comprised of the lowest two spin states of 6^66Li. At 834 G there is a collisional or Feshbach resonance between the two spin states. The scattering length between trapped atoms of opposing spins far exceeds the interparticle spacing of the gas. On resonance, a strongly interacting, unitary, Fermi gas is created which exhibits universal behavior. The unitary Fermi gas is a prototype for other exotic systems in nature from nuclear matter to neutron stars and high temperature superconductors. \n For magnetic fields less than 834 G the scattering length is positive, and pairs Fermi atoms can form molecular dimers. These dimers, comprised of two fermions, are bosons. At ultracold temperatures the molecular bosons populate the lowest energy level and form a Bose Einstein Condensate (BEC). For magnetic fields greater than 834G the scattering length between fermions in opposing spin states is negative, like Cooper pairs formed between electrons in a superconductor. The Bardeen, Cooper, and Shriefer (BCS) theory was developed to describe the pairing effect in the context of superconductors. In our experiment we produce an ultracold unitary gas. By tuning the magnetic field to either side of the Feshbach resonance we can transform the gas into a weakly interacting BEC or BCS superfluid. Therefore, the region near a Feshbach resonance is called the BEC-BCS crossover. \n This dissertation presents a precision measurement of the hydrodynamic sound velocity in an ultracold Fermi gas near a Feshbach resonance. The sound velocity is measured at various magnetic fields both above and below resonance. Moreover, we are able compare our measurements to theoretical descriptions of hydrodynamic sound propagation. Further, our measurement of sound velocity exactly reproduces the non-perturbative case, eliminating the need to consider nonlinear effects. At resonance the sound velocity exhibits universal scaling with the Fermi velocity to within 1.8\\% over a factor of 30 in density. In a near zero temperature unitary gas the average sound velocity at the axial center was measured, c(0)/vFc(0)/v_Fc(0)/vF​ = 0.364(0.005), as well as the universal constant, beta\\betabeta = -0.565(0.015). The measurement of sound velocity in an ultracold gas throughout the BEC-BCS crossover provides further evidence of the continuous connection between the physics of the BEC, unitary, and BCS systems.
We analyze the evolution of superfluidity for nonzero orbital angular momentum channels from the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) to the Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) limit in three dimensions. First, we analyze the low-energy scattering properties of finite range interactions for all possible angular momentum channels. Second, we discuss ground-state (T=0)(T=0)(T=0) superfluid properties including the order parameter, chemical potential, quasiparticle excitation spectrum, momentum distribution, atomic compressibility, ground-state energy, and low-energy collective excitations. We show that a quantum phase transition occurs for nonzero angular momentum pairing, unlike the sss-wave case where the BCS to BEC evolution is just a crossover. Third, we present a Gaussian fluctuation theory near the critical temperature (T=Tc)(T={T}_{\mathrm{c}})(T=Tc​), and we analyze the number of bound, scattering, and unbound fermions as well as the chemical potential. Finally, we derive the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau functional near Tc{T}_{\mathrm{c}}Tc​, and compare the Ginzburg-Landau coherence length with the zero-temperature average Cooper pair size.