Abstract
A strongly attractive, two-component Fermi gas of atoms exhibits universal behavior and should be mechanically stable as a consequence of the quantum-mechanical requirement of unitarity. This requirement limits the maximum attractive force to a value smaller than that of the outward Fermi pressure. To experimentally demonstrate this stability, we use all-optical methods to produce a highly degenerate, two-component gas of [Formula Presented] atoms in an applied magnetic field near a Feshbach resonance, where strong interactions are observed. We find that gas is stable at densities far exceeding that predicted previously for the onset of mechanical instability. Further, we provide a temperature-corrected measurement of an important, universal, many-body parameter, which determines the stability—the mean-field contribution to the chemical potential in units of the local Fermi energy.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Journal | Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics |
| Volume | 68 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2003 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
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Mechanical stability of a strongly interacting Fermi gas of atoms. / Gehm, M. E.; Hemmer, S. L.; Granade, S. R.; O’Hara, K. M.; Thomas, J. E.
In: Physical Review A - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics, Vol. 68, No. 1, 01.01.2003.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Mechanical stability of a strongly interacting Fermi gas of atoms
AU - Gehm, M. E.
AU - Hemmer, S. L.
AU - Granade, S. R.
AU - O’Hara, K. M.
AU - Thomas, J. E.
PY - 2003/1/1
Y1 - 2003/1/1
N2 - A strongly attractive, two-component Fermi gas of atoms exhibits universal behavior and should be mechanically stable as a consequence of the quantum-mechanical requirement of unitarity. This requirement limits the maximum attractive force to a value smaller than that of the outward Fermi pressure. To experimentally demonstrate this stability, we use all-optical methods to produce a highly degenerate, two-component gas of [Formula Presented] atoms in an applied magnetic field near a Feshbach resonance, where strong interactions are observed. We find that gas is stable at densities far exceeding that predicted previously for the onset of mechanical instability. Further, we provide a temperature-corrected measurement of an important, universal, many-body parameter, which determines the stability—the mean-field contribution to the chemical potential in units of the local Fermi energy.
AB - A strongly attractive, two-component Fermi gas of atoms exhibits universal behavior and should be mechanically stable as a consequence of the quantum-mechanical requirement of unitarity. This requirement limits the maximum attractive force to a value smaller than that of the outward Fermi pressure. To experimentally demonstrate this stability, we use all-optical methods to produce a highly degenerate, two-component gas of [Formula Presented] atoms in an applied magnetic field near a Feshbach resonance, where strong interactions are observed. We find that gas is stable at densities far exceeding that predicted previously for the onset of mechanical instability. Further, we provide a temperature-corrected measurement of an important, universal, many-body parameter, which determines the stability—the mean-field contribution to the chemical potential in units of the local Fermi energy.
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U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevA.68.011401
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevA.68.011401
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84891821294
VL - 68
JO - Physical Review A
JF - Physical Review A
SN - 2469-9926
IS - 1
ER -