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:cond-mat/0503101 · Physical Review A

Sound modes at the BCS-BEC crossover

H. Heiselberg

Published Jan 10, 2006• 39 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

First and second sound speeds are calculated for a uniform superfluid gas of Fermi atoms as a function of temperature, density, and interaction strength. The second sound speed is of particular interest as it is a clear signal of a superfluid component and it determines the critical temperature. The sound modes and their dependence on density, scattering length, and temperature are calculated in the BCS, molecular Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), and unitarity limits and a smooth crossover is extrapolated. It is found that first and second sounds undergo avoided crossing on the BEC side due to mixing. Consequently, they are detectable at crossover both as density and thermal waves in traps.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.73.013607

Related papers

Second sound in Fermi gases at the BCS-BEC crossover

H. Heiselberg

The thermodynamic potential is calculated for a uniform superfluid gas of fermi atoms from the mean field BCS equations including corrections from induced interactions, Hartree-Fock energies and quasiparticle selfenergies. The entropy, specific heat and sound modes are calculated as function of temperature, density and interaction strength from the BCS to the unitarity limit and around the BCS-BEC crossover. The second sound speed is of particular interest as it is a clear signal of a superfluid component and it determines the critical temperature.

arXiv:cond-mat/0409077•Sep 3, 2004•0 citations

First- and second-sound-like modes at finite temperature in trapped Fermi gases from BCS to BEC

Yan He, Qijin Chen, Chih-Chun Chien +1 more

We determine the temperature $(T)$ dependence of first- and second-sound-like mode frequencies for trapped Fermi gases undergoing the BCS to Bose--Einstein condensation (BEC) crossover. Our results are based on numerical solution of the two-fluid equations in conjunction with a microscopic calculation of thermodynamical variables. As in experiment and at unitarity, we show that the lowest radial breathing mode is $T$ independent. At finite $T$, higher-order breathing modes strongly mix with second sound. Their complex $T$ dependence should provide an alternative way of measuring the transition temperature ${T}_{c}$.

arXiv:0704.1889•Physical Review A•Nov 8, 2007•22 citations

Second sound in the BEC-BCS crossover

Daniel Kai Hoffmann, Vijay Pal Singh, Thomas Paintner +4 more

Second sound is an entropy wave which propagates in the superfluid component of a quantum liquid. Because it is an entropy wave, it probes the thermodynamic properties of the quantum liquid which are determined, e.g., by the interaction strength between the particles of the quantum liquid and their temperature. Here, we study second sound propagation for a large range of interaction strengths within the crossover between a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) and the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) superfluid. In particular, we investigate the strongly-interacting regime where currently theoretical predictions only exist in terms of an interpolation between the BEC, BCS and unitary regimes. Working with a quantum gas of ultracold fermionic $^6$Li atoms with tunable interactions, we show that the second sound speed varies only slightly in the crossover regime. We gain deeper insights into sound propagation and excitation of second sound by varying the excitation procedure which ranges from a sudden force pulse to a gentle heating pulse at the cloud center. These measurements are accompanied by classical-field simulations which help with the interpretation of the experimental data. Furthermore, we determine the spatial extension of the superfluid phase and estimate the superfluid density. In the future, this may be used to construct the so far unknown equation of state throughout the crossover.

arXiv:2003.06847•Mar 15, 2020•2 citations

Second sound in the crossover from the Bose-Einstein condensate to the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer superfluid

Daniel Kai Hoffmann, Vijay Pal Singh, Thomas Paintner +4 more

Abstract Second sound is an entropy wave which propagates in the superfluid component of a quantum liquid. Because it is an entropy wave, it probes the thermodynamic properties of the quantum liquid. Here, we study second sound propagation for a large range of interaction strengths within the crossover between a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) and the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) superfluid, extending previous work at unitarity. In particular, we investigate the strongly-interacting regime where currently theoretical predictions only exist in terms of an interpolation in the crossover. Working with a quantum gas of ultracold fermionic 6Li atoms with tunable interactions, we show that the second sound speed varies only slightly in the crossover regime. By varying the excitation procedure, we gain deeper insight on sound propagation. We compare our measurement results with classical-field simulations, which help with the interpretation of our experiments.

Nature Communications•Dec 6, 2021•13 citations

Propagation of second sound in a superfluid Fermi gas in the unitary limit

Emiko Arahata, Tetsuro Nikuni

We study sound propagation in a uniform superfluid gas of Fermi atoms in the unitary limit. The existence of normal and superfluid components leads to appearance of two sound modes in the collisional regime, referred to as first and second sounds. The second sound is of particular interest as it is a clear signal of a superfluid component. Using Landau's two-fluid hydrodynamic theory, we calculate hydrodynamic sound velocities and these weights in the density response function. The latter is used to calculate the response to a sudden modification of the external potential generating pulse propagation. The amplitude of a pulse which is proportional to the weight in the response function is calculated, the basis of the approach of Nozi\`eres and Schmitt-Rink for the BCS-BEC. We show that, in a superfluid Fermi gas at unitarity, the second-sound pulse is excited with an appreciate amplitude by density perturbations.

arXiv:0907.2743•Physical Review A•Oct 19, 2009•28 citations

Properties of strongly paired fermionic condensates

Jesper Levinsen, Victor Gurarie

We study a gas of fermions undergoing a wide resonance $s$-wave BCS--Bose-Einstein-condensate (BEC) crossover, in the BEC regime at zero temperature. We calculate the chemical potential and the speed of sound of this Bose-Einstein-condensed gas, as well as the condensate depletion, in the low-density approximation. We discuss how higher-order terms in the low-density expansion can be constructed. We demonstrate that the standard BCS-BEC gap equation is invalid in the BEC regime and is inconsistent with the results obtained here. The low-density approximation we employ breaks down in the intermediate BCS-BEC crossover region. Hence our theory is unable to predict how the chemical potential and the speed of sound evolve once the interactions are tuned towards the BCS regime. As a part of our theory, we derive the well-known result for the bosonic scattering length diagrammatically and check that there are no bound states of two bosons.

arXiv:cond-mat/0510672•Physical Review A•May 10, 2006•62 citations
First and second sound speeds are calculated for a uniform superfluid gas of Fermi atoms as a function of temperature, density, and interaction strength. The second sound speed is of particular interest as it is a clear signal of a superfluid component and it determines the critical temperature. The sound modes and their dependence on density, scattering length, and temperature are calculated in the BCS, molecular Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), and unitarity limits and a smooth crossover is extrapolated. It is found that first and second sounds undergo avoided crossing on the BEC side due to mixing. Consequently, they are detectable at crossover both as density and thermal waves in traps.
The thermodynamic potential is calculated for a uniform superfluid gas of fermi atoms from the mean field BCS equations including corrections from induced interactions, Hartree-Fock energies and quasiparticle selfenergies. The entropy, specific heat and sound modes are calculated as function of temperature, density and interaction strength from the BCS to the unitarity limit and around the BCS-BEC crossover. The second sound speed is of particular interest as it is a clear signal of a superfluid component and it determines the critical temperature.
We determine the temperature (T)(T)(T) dependence of first- and second-sound-like mode frequencies for trapped Fermi gases undergoing the BCS to Bose--Einstein condensation (BEC) crossover. Our results are based on numerical solution of the two-fluid equations in conjunction with a microscopic calculation of thermodynamical variables. As in experiment and at unitarity, we show that the lowest radial breathing mode is TTT independent. At finite TTT, higher-order breathing modes strongly mix with second sound. Their complex TTT dependence should provide an alternative way of measuring the transition temperature Tc{T}_{c}Tc​.
Second sound is an entropy wave which propagates in the superfluid component of a quantum liquid. Because it is an entropy wave, it probes the thermodynamic properties of the quantum liquid which are determined, e.g., by the interaction strength between the particles of the quantum liquid and their temperature. Here, we study second sound propagation for a large range of interaction strengths within the crossover between a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) and the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) superfluid. In particular, we investigate the strongly-interacting regime where currently theoretical predictions only exist in terms of an interpolation between the BEC, BCS and unitary regimes. Working with a quantum gas of ultracold fermionic 6^66Li atoms with tunable interactions, we show that the second sound speed varies only slightly in the crossover regime. We gain deeper insights into sound propagation and excitation of second sound by varying the excitation procedure which ranges from a sudden force pulse to a gentle heating pulse at the cloud center. These measurements are accompanied by classical-field simulations which help with the interpretation of the experimental data. Furthermore, we determine the spatial extension of the superfluid phase and estimate the superfluid density. In the future, this may be used to construct the so far unknown equation of state throughout the crossover.
Abstract Second sound is an entropy wave which propagates in the superfluid component of a quantum liquid. Because it is an entropy wave, it probes the thermodynamic properties of the quantum liquid. Here, we study second sound propagation for a large range of interaction strengths within the crossover between a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) and the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) superfluid, extending previous work at unitarity. In particular, we investigate the strongly-interacting regime where currently theoretical predictions only exist in terms of an interpolation in the crossover. Working with a quantum gas of ultracold fermionic 6Li atoms with tunable interactions, we show that the second sound speed varies only slightly in the crossover regime. By varying the excitation procedure, we gain deeper insight on sound propagation. We compare our measurement results with classical-field simulations, which help with the interpretation of our experiments.
We study sound propagation in a uniform superfluid gas of Fermi atoms in the unitary limit. The existence of normal and superfluid components leads to appearance of two sound modes in the collisional regime, referred to as first and second sounds. The second sound is of particular interest as it is a clear signal of a superfluid component. Using Landau's two-fluid hydrodynamic theory, we calculate hydrodynamic sound velocities and these weights in the density response function. The latter is used to calculate the response to a sudden modification of the external potential generating pulse propagation. The amplitude of a pulse which is proportional to the weight in the response function is calculated, the basis of the approach of Nozi\`eres and Schmitt-Rink for the BCS-BEC. We show that, in a superfluid Fermi gas at unitarity, the second-sound pulse is excited with an appreciate amplitude by density perturbations.
We study a gas of fermions undergoing a wide resonance sss-wave BCS--Bose-Einstein-condensate (BEC) crossover, in the BEC regime at zero temperature. We calculate the chemical potential and the speed of sound of this Bose-Einstein-condensed gas, as well as the condensate depletion, in the low-density approximation. We discuss how higher-order terms in the low-density expansion can be constructed. We demonstrate that the standard BCS-BEC gap equation is invalid in the BEC regime and is inconsistent with the results obtained here. The low-density approximation we employ breaks down in the intermediate BCS-BEC crossover region. Hence our theory is unable to predict how the chemical potential and the speed of sound evolve once the interactions are tuned towards the BCS regime. As a part of our theory, we derive the well-known result for the bosonic scattering length diagrammatically and check that there are no bound states of two bosons.