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Physica Scripta

Progress and Prospects of Fermi Gas Physics in Cold Atom Traps

Eddy Timmermans

Published Jan 1, 2004• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The pursuit of fermion superfluidity in cold atom traps has been touted as a worthy successor to the celebrated quest for Bose–Einstein condensation. Presently, the field appears to be closing in on this new target. This manuscript reviews some of the exciting prospects, the obstacles on the way, and the progress in overcoming these hurdles.

DOI
10.1238/physica.topical.110a00302

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Superfluidity has become a topic of active interest in the field of atom trap Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). We motivate this line of research by placing the BEC developments against the general backdrop of the theory of superfluidity and by highlighting the advantages offered by the atom trap technology. We review the standard description of the BEC dynamics, as well as basic concepts of superfluidity and we present theoretical arguments for expecting the BECs to exhibit superfluid behaviour. In atom traps, as in condensed and nuclear matter, superfluidity can manifest itself in a manifold of guises. Moreover, some of its manifestations can even be undesirable, as we illustrate by the poignant example of sympathetic cooling with condensates. We also review recent experimental evidence for superfluid BEC behaviour and we suggest further experiments to probe superfluidity in atom traps. The low densities of the BECs allow optical imaging and imply that the relevant physics occurs on time and length scales that are much slower and larger than in the traditional 4He superfluid. Consequently, BEC experiments can study known superfluid phenomena and structures in a different and, perhaps, more detailed manner. In addition, the flexibility offered by existing techniques in atomic, molecular and optical physics is unprecedented in the field of low-temperature physics and suggests the prospect of creating superfluids of fundamentally novel structures. Finally, it is conceivable that new applications of superfluidity may arise from these studies.

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•Nov 27, 2014•27 citations
The pursuit of fermion superfluidity in cold atom traps has been touted as a worthy successor to the celebrated quest for Bose–Einstein condensation. Presently, the field appears to be closing in on this new target. This manuscript reviews some of the exciting prospects, the obstacles on the way, and the progress in overcoming these hurdles.
Superfluidity has become a topic of active interest in the field of atom trap Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). We motivate this line of research by placing the BEC developments against the general backdrop of the theory of superfluidity and by highlighting the advantages offered by the atom trap technology. We review the standard description of the BEC dynamics, as well as basic concepts of superfluidity and we present theoretical arguments for expecting the BECs to exhibit superfluid behaviour. In atom traps, as in condensed and nuclear matter, superfluidity can manifest itself in a manifold of guises. Moreover, some of its manifestations can even be undesirable, as we illustrate by the poignant example of sympathetic cooling with condensates. We also review recent experimental evidence for superfluid BEC behaviour and we suggest further experiments to probe superfluidity in atom traps. The low densities of the BECs allow optical imaging and imply that the relevant physics occurs on time and length scales that are much slower and larger than in the traditional 4He superfluid. Consequently, BEC experiments can study known superfluid phenomena and structures in a different and, perhaps, more detailed manner. In addition, the flexibility offered by existing techniques in atomic, molecular and optical physics is unprecedented in the field of low-temperature physics and suggests the prospect of creating superfluids of fundamentally novel structures. Finally, it is conceivable that new applications of superfluidity may arise from these studies.
The creation of the first Bose-Einstein condensate of atoms in 1995 marked the birth of the exciting new field of cold atom physics. Although the energy scale of cold atoms is as far from that of high energy physics as high energy physics is from the Planck scale, these fields have a lot in common. Cold atoms behave like point particles with local interactions, and therefore can be described by a local quantum field theory. Much of the physics of Bose-Einstein condensates can be understood using classical field theory, but there are some problems for which quantum field theory becomes essential. I will explain how methods borrowed from high energy physics are being used to make dramatic progress on some of the most challenging problems in cold atom physics.
The quantum mechanical phenomenon of Bose-Einstein condensation appears throughout physics with manifestations ranging from superconductivity in metals to superfluidity in nuclei and neutron stars. In most cases the condensation emerges due to correlations or pairing of fermionic particles. We explore this quantum behavior in a uniquely controllable and clean system consisting of an ultracold gas of atoms. In particular, by tuning the interactions between the fermionic atoms that make up our ultracold gas we can create condensates consisting of pairs of correlated atoms. These experiments introduce the ability to access the intriguing crossover regime where the quantum behavior of fermions becomes intertwined with that of bosons.
Bose–Einstein condensation was predicted in 1925 [Ein24, Ein25] but, except for its indirect manifestation in the superfluidity of He 4 [Lon38, Kap38, AllMis38], it remained a purely theoretical construct until 1995, when condensation in alkali gases was achieved in the laboratory [CorWie02, Ket02]. Since then, a great deal of the theoretical work in the previous 70 years has been put to the experimental test, while new avenues have been opening up, such as the superfluid-insulator or Mott transition [FWGF89, GMEHB02, CaHuRe06], the BEC-BCS cross-over [Leg06, Reg04] and the Tonks gas regime [Gir60, Par04]. Because of the great experimental control over the relevant parameters and the deep understanding of the fundamental physics, BECs have become a field of choice to perform experiments of interest not just in atomic and molecular physics, but also in quantum optics, condensed matter physics, quantum critical dynamics, even field theory, gravitation, cosmology and black hole physics [CoEnWi99, PetSmi02, Sou02, BonSen04, ParZha93, ParZha95, UnrSch07, BaLiVi05]. Moreover, cold Bose gases on optical lattices have been proposed as a possible implementation of a quantum information processing (QIP) device [JakZo104], boosting new interest in these systems. As introductions and reviews on this fast evolving subject abound, it is perhaps more fitting for us to focus on certain aspects of the nonequilibrium field theory of BEC, specifically [And04] the application of quantum field theoretic methods described in this book to the description of nonequilibrium evolution of condensed gases in magneto-optical traps [ChCoPh95].
Abstract This volume continues the presentation of recent results on superfluids, including novel metallic systems, superfluid liquids, and atomic/molecular gases of bosons and fermions, particularly when trapped in optical lattices. Since the discovery of superconductivity (Leyden, 1911), superfluid4 He (Moscow and Cambridge, 1937), superfluid3 He (Cornell, 1972), and observation Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) of a gas (Colorado and MIT, 1995), the phenomenon of superfluidity has remained one of the most important topics in physics. Again and again, novel superfluids yield surprising and interesting behaviors. The many classes of metallic superconductors, including the high temperature perovskite-based oxides, MgB2, organic systems, and Fe-based pnictides, continue to offer challenges; the technical applications grow steadily. What the temperature and field limits are remains elusive. Atomic nuclei, neutron stars, and the Universe itself all involve various aspects of superfluidity; clearly the lessons learned have had a broad impact on physics as a whole.