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Physical Review

Theory of a Superfluid Fermi Liquid. I. General Formalism and Static Properties

A. J. Leggett

Published Dec 13, 1965• 284 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The microscopic theory of a superfluid Fermi liquid at finite temperature is developed for the case of a pure system with $S$-wave pairing, and applied to the calculation of the static properties. As a function of $\ensuremath{\theta}\ensuremath{\equiv}\frac{T}{{T}_{c}}$ these properties are determined entirely by the Landau parameters ${F}_{0}$, ${F}_{1}$, ${Z}_{0}$, etc., characterizing quasiparticle interactions in the normal phase. In particular the spin susceptibility $\ensuremath{\chi}$ and the density of the normal component ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{n}$ are given by $\frac{\ensuremath{\chi}(\ensuremath{\theta})}{\ensuremath{\chi}(1)}=(1+\frac{1}{4}{Z}_{0})\frac{f(\ensuremath{\theta})}{[1+\frac{1}{4}{Z}_{0}f(\ensuremath{\theta})]},$ $\frac{{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{n}}{\ensuremath{\rho}}=(1+\frac{1}{3}{F}_{1})\frac{f(\ensuremath{\theta})}{[1+\frac{1}{3}{F}_{1}f(\ensuremath{\theta})]},$ where the universal function $f(\ensuremath{\theta})\ensuremath{\equiv}\ensuremath{-}{[\ensuremath{\nu}(0)]}^{\ensuremath{-}1}{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}_{\mathrm{p}}(\frac{\mathrm{dn}}{d{E}_{\mathrm{p}}})$ is the "effective density of states near the Fermi surface" relative to its value $\ensuremath{\nu}(0)$ in the normal phase. Thus the often-quoted expression ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{n}=\frac{1}{3}{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}_{\mathrm{p}}{\mathrm{p}}^{2}(\frac{\mathrm{dn}}{d{E}_{\mathrm{p}}})$ is valid for an interacting system only in the limit $T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$. In the latter part of the paper a simple phenomenological theory of "Fermi-liquid" effects on $\ensuremath{\chi}$ and ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{n}$ is developed for arbitrary conditions (including the presence of impurities and pairing with $l\ensuremath{\ne}0$); it is found that under most circumstances explicit expressions for $\ensuremath{\chi}$ and ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{n}$ may be obtained which involve only the Landau parameters and a suitably generalized effective density of states. The theory should apply to the possible superfluid phase of ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ and to most superconductors. It is suggested that the Knight shift in nontransition-metal superconductors should display some "Fermi-liquid" effects. The weak-field dc penetration depth $\ensuremath{\lambda}(T)$ is shown to be insensitive to such effects both in the Pippard limit and near ${T}_{c}$; however, in a London superconductor at lower temperatures the correction to $\ensuremath{\lambda}(T)$ should be observable and yield a direct estimate of ${F}_{1}$.

DOI
10.1103/physrev.140.a1869

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The microscopic theory of a superfluid Fermi liquid at finite temperature is developed for the case of a pure system with SSS-wave pairing, and applied to the calculation of the static properties. As a function of \ensuremathθ\ensuremath≡TTc\ensuremath{\theta}\ensuremath{\equiv}\frac{T}{{T}_{c}}\ensuremathθ\ensuremath≡Tc​T​ these properties are determined entirely by the Landau parameters F0{F}_{0}F0​, F1{F}_{1}F1​, Z0{Z}_{0}Z0​, etc., characterizing quasiparticle interactions in the normal phase. In particular the spin susceptibility \ensuremathχ\ensuremath{\chi}\ensuremathχ and the density of the normal component \ensuremathρn{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{n}\ensuremathρn​ are given by \ensuremathχ(\ensuremathθ)\ensuremathχ(1)=(1+14Z0)f(\ensuremathθ)[1+14Z0f(\ensuremathθ)],\frac{\ensuremath{\chi}(\ensuremath{\theta})}{\ensuremath{\chi}(1)}=(1+\frac{1}{4}{Z}_{0})\frac{f(\ensuremath{\theta})}{[1+\frac{1}{4}{Z}_{0}f(\ensuremath{\theta})]},\ensuremathχ(1)\ensuremathχ(\ensuremathθ)​=(1+41​Z0​)[1+41​Z0​f(\ensuremathθ)]f(\ensuremathθ)​, \ensuremathρn\ensuremathρ=(1+13F1)f(\ensuremathθ)[1+13F1f(\ensuremathθ)],\frac{{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{n}}{\ensuremath{\rho}}=(1+\frac{1}{3}{F}_{1})\frac{f(\ensuremath{\theta})}{[1+\frac{1}{3}{F}_{1}f(\ensuremath{\theta})]},\ensuremathρ\ensuremathρn​​=(1+31​F1​)[1+31​F1​f(\ensuremathθ)]f(\ensuremathθ)​, where the universal function f(\ensuremathθ)\ensuremath≡\ensuremath−[\ensuremathν(0)]\ensuremath−1\ensuremathΣp(dndEp)f(\ensuremath{\theta})\ensuremath{\equiv}\ensuremath{-}{[\ensuremath{\nu}(0)]}^{\ensuremath{-}1}{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}_{\mathrm{p}}(\frac{\mathrm{dn}}{d{E}_{\mathrm{p}}})f(\ensuremathθ)\ensuremath≡\ensuremath−[\ensuremathν(0)]\ensuremath−1\ensuremathΣp​(dEp​dn​) is the "effective density of states near the Fermi surface" relative to its value \ensuremathν(0)\ensuremath{\nu}(0)\ensuremathν(0) in the normal phase. Thus the often-quoted expression \ensuremathρn=13\ensuremathΣpp2(dndEp){\ensuremath{\rho}}_{n}=\frac{1}{3}{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}_{\mathrm{p}}{\mathrm{p}}^{2}(\frac{\mathrm{dn}}{d{E}_{\mathrm{p}}})\ensuremathρn​=31​\ensuremathΣp​p2(dEp​dn​) is valid for an interacting system only in the limit T\ensuremath→0T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0T\ensuremath→0. In the latter part of the paper a simple phenomenological theory of "Fermi-liquid" effects on \ensuremathχ\ensuremath{\chi}\ensuremathχ and \ensuremathρn{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{n}\ensuremathρn​ is developed for arbitrary conditions (including the presence of impurities and pairing with l\ensuremath≠0l\ensuremath{\ne}0l\ensuremath=0); it is found that under most circumstances explicit expressions for \ensuremathχ\ensuremath{\chi}\ensuremathχ and \ensuremathρn{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{n}\ensuremathρn​ may be obtained which involve only the Landau parameters and a suitably generalized effective density of states. The theory should apply to the possible superfluid phase of He3{\mathrm{He}}^{3}He3 and to most superconductors. It is suggested that the Knight shift in nontransition-metal superconductors should display some "Fermi-liquid" effects. The weak-field dc penetration depth \ensuremathλ(T)\ensuremath{\lambda}(T)\ensuremathλ(T) is shown to be insensitive to such effects both in the Pippard limit and near Tc{T}_{c}Tc​; however, in a London superconductor at lower temperatures the correction to \ensuremathλ(T)\ensuremath{\lambda}(T)\ensuremathλ(T) should be observable and yield a direct estimate of F1{F}_{1}F1​.
The long-wavelength, low-frequency "collisionless" collective oscillations of a superfluid Fermi liquid are studied throughout the region 0<T<Tc0<T<{T}_{c}0<T<Tc​ with the help of a field-theoretic formalism developed in a previous paper. It is found that any collective mode (other than the density fluctuation) that is possible in the normal phase persists below Tc{T}_{c}Tc​ as an oscillation of the normal component, but disappears at some finite temperature which in general depends on the Landau interaction parameters F0{F}_{0}F0​,F1{F}_{1}F1​,Z0{Z}_{0}Z0​, etc. The behavior of the density-fluctuation mode depends critically on F0{F}_{0}F0​, if the latter is negative, there is a well-defined collective oscillation only for $T\ensuremath{\ll}{T}_{c}$, while if it is small and positive, the oscillation is well defined for $T\ensuremath{\ll}{T}_{c}$ and $T\ensuremath{-}{T}_{c}\ensuremath{\ll}{T}_{c}$ but not in the intermediate region. If F0{F}_{0}F0​ is large and positive, the density-fluctuation collective mode exists throughout the whole region 0<T<Tc0<T<{T}_{c}0<T<Tc​ and its velocity is approximately temperature-independent.
The Fermi-liquid approach generalized to superfluid systems is used to derive general formulas for the normal and abnormal distribution functions (DF) for quasiparticles of a superfluid Fermi liquid (SFL) consisting of electrically neutral fermions with spin-triplet pairing (the spin of a pair s=1, the orbital angular momentum l of the pair being an arbitrary odd number) in a static uniform magnetic field, taking into account the Landau spin-exchange Fermi-liquid interaction at temperatures 0<T<Tc (Tc is the temperature of phase transition from the normal to the superfluid state). In deriving the DF, the explicit form of the energy functional (EF) for SFL is not used. A system of coupled equations is obtained for the order parameter, energy of quasiparticles, and effective magnetic field for the SFL under investigation in the case of an EF quadratic in DF. The obtained DF and the system of equations are applicable for describing both unitary and nonunitary phases of superfluid He3 in a magnetic field, e.g., for determining the magnetization and magnetic susceptibility of these phases.
A Fermi-liquid approach to the theory of superfluidity is developed, based on a generalization of the combinatoric expression for the entropy to the case in which the state of the Fermi liquid is described not only by a normal but also by an anomalous distribution function. The energy of the superfluid Fermi liquid is given in the form of a functional of these distribution functions. In the weak-coupling approximation the Fermi-liquid approach is equivalent to the BCS theory. The interaction between the Fermi liquid and an electromagnetic field is gauge invariant. In addition to the singlet-pairing theory the triplet-pairing theory is also developed. A unified variational principle that gives rise to the theory of superfluidity (superconductivity) is used to obtain the London equations and the Ginzburg–Landau equation. Applications of this theory are made to the derivation of an equation for ideal two-component hydrodynamics.
Although our discussion in this section will be largely phenomenological we must anticipate the major result of the microscopic theory which will be developed in Parts II and III; in particular we must make use of the fact that superfluidity in Fermi systems arises from the formation of a special kind of bound state in which electrons (or He quasiparticles) on (or near) the Fermi surface having oppositely directed momenta, + p and – p , form (collectively) bound pairs. For the vast majority of superfluid electron systems (metals), the pairs form in a state with no net orbital angular momentum, an l = 0 or s-wave state which we will refer to as conventional fermion superfluidity; by the Pauli principle the electrons must then be in a singlet spin state (s = 0). In the decade or so following the development of the BCS theory, and especially after the experimental discovery of the superfluid phases of liquid He, theorists explored various types of pairing in systems with a more complicated orbital and spin structure in which the gap can vary, in both magnitude and phase, with position on the Fermi surface. In the case of odd l pairing, the pairs form (again due to the Pauli principle) in a triplet s = 1 rather than a singlet spin state. The energy gap associated with such states may have zeros (i.e., vanish) at points or lines on the Fermi surface, and as a result the number of excitations at low temperatures varies as a power of the temperature, rather than exponentially.
We introduce a new renormalisation scheme to construct the Landau quasiparticles of Fermi fluids. The scheme introduces an energy cutoff ΛΛΛ to remove the resonant couplings, enabling the dressing of the particles into quasiparticles via a unitary transformation. The dynamics of the quasiparticles is then restricted to low-energy transitions and is fully determined by an effective Hamiltonian which unifies the Landau function fff, the pair interaction ggg responsible for superfluidity, and the collision amplitude A\mathcal{A}A responsible for transport and equilibration. Studying the flow equation that results from infinitesimal variations of the cutoff, we recover the Bethe-Salpeter relation between fff and the forward limit of A\mathcal{A}A, and we demonstrate an analogue relation between ggg and the frontal limit of A\mathcal{A}A. We show that our effective theory captures all the low-energy phenomena of Fermi liquids, from the equation of state to the transport properties, both in the normal and in the superfluid phase. We apply it to the calculation of non-Fermi liquid corrections to the quasiparticle lifetime. This publication is continued by arXiv:2607.07041 where we apply the effective theory to a Fermi fluid of ultracold atoms.
Landau (1958) gave a rigorous microscopic derivation of his phenomenological Fermi -liquid theory starting from the first principles Hamiltonian of strongly interacting Fermions. The derivation is based on an asymptotic expansion in small parameters such as q/kF, bc.>/EF, kT/EF, where q and c.> represent the wave numbers and frequencies of real excitations of the system. Landau showed that the dynamics of these low-lying excitations (quasiparticles and collective modes) is governed by classical transport equations with all quantum many-body effects absorbed into effective interaction parameters. Landau's approach has been generalized to superfluid Fermi liquids and superconductors by Leggett (1965) and, going beyond linear response, by Eliashberg (1971). Their ideas merged into a recent review on the quasiclassical approach to superfluid 3 He by Serene and Rainer (1983). I will use the notation of this review throughout this paper. Landau's transport theory together with its offsprings will be called 'quasiclassical theory in the following. In this context it is important to mention that Eilenberger (1968) and Larkin and Ovchinnikov (1968) have shown that the complete theory of superconductors can be formulated as a quasiclassical transport theory. Surprisingly, this theory permits calculating microscopic properties, e.g. the quasiparticle excitation spectrum, which are predominantly governed by quantum effects.