Asymmetric Superfluid in a Harmonic Trap

Ammar A. Kirmani, Khandker Quader, Maxim Dzero

C.-H. Pao, Shin-Tza Wu, Sungkit Yip

We study the dilute fermion gas with pairing between two species and unequal concentrations in a harmonic trap using the mean-field theory and the local density approximation. We found that the system can exhibit a superfluid shell structure sandwiched by the normal fermions. This superfluid shell structure occurs if the mass ratio is larger than a certain critical value, which increases from the weak-coupling BCS region to the strong-coupling Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) side. In the strong-coupling BEC regime, the radii of the superfluid phase are less sensitive to the mass ratios and are similar to the case of pairing with equal masses. However, the lighter leftover fermions are easier to mix with the superfluid core than the heavier ones. A partially polarized superfluid can be found if the majority fermions are lighter, whereas phase separation is still found if they are heavier.

E. R. F. Ramos, M. A. Caracanhas, R. P. Teles +2 more

C.-H. Pao, S-K Yip

We consider a dilute two-component atomic fermion gas with unequal populations in a harmonic trap potential using the mean field theory and the local density approximation. We show that the system is phase separated into concentric shells with the superfluid in the core surrounded by the normal fermion gas both on the weak-coupling BCS side and near the Feshbach resonance. On the strong-coupling BEC side, the composite bosons and left-over fermions can be mixed. We calculate the cloud radii and compare axial density profiles systemically for the BCS, near resonance and BEC regimes.

Yongqiang Li, Liang He, Walter Hofstetter

We theoretically investigate the pair-superfluid phase of two-component ultracold gases with attractive inter-species interactions in an optical lattice. We establish the phase diagram for filling n = 1 at zero and finite temperatures, by applying bosonic dynamical mean-field theory, and observe stable pair-superfluid and charge-density wave quantum phases for asymmetric hopping of the two species. While the pair superfluid is found to be robust in the presence of a harmonic trap, we observe that it is destroyed already by a small population imbalance of the two species.

Cecil T. Lane, E. Maxwell