Degenerate Fermi gases of ytterbium

Evaporative cooling was performed to cool fermionic 173Yb atoms in a crossed optical dipole trap. The large elastic collision rate leads to efficient evaporation and we have successfully cooled the atoms to 0.37+/-0.06 of the Fermi temperature, that is to say, to a quantum degenerate regime. In this regime, a plunge of evaporation efficiency was observed as a result of Fermi degeneracy.     

Achieving a BCS transition in an atomic Fermi gas

We consider a gas of cold fermionic atoms having two spin components with interactions characterized by their s-wave scattering length a. At positive scattering length the atoms form weakly bound bosonic molecules which can be evaporatively cooled to undergo Bose-Einstein condensation, whereas at negative scattering length BCS pairing can take place. It is shown that, by adiabatically tuning the scattering length a from positive to negative values, one may transform the molecular Bose-Einstein condensate into a highly degenerate atomic Fermi gas, with the ratio of temperature to Fermi temperature T/T(F) approximately 10(-2). The corresponding critical final value of k(F)/a/, which leads to the BCS transition, is found to be about one-half, where k(F) is the Fermi momentum.     

Quantum Degenerate Fermi--Bose Mixtures of 40K and 87Rb Atoms in a Quadrupole-Ioffe Configuration Trap

We report on the attainment of quantum degeneracy of 40^K by means of efficient thermal collisions with the evaporatively cooled 87^Rb atoms. In a quadrupole-Ioffe configuration trap, potassium atoms axe cooled to 0.5 times the Fermi temperature. We obtain up to 7.59 × 10^5 degenerate fermions 40^K.     

实现玻色-费米混合气体量子简并的四极Ioffe组合磁阱设计

四极Ioffe组合磁阱(QUIC磁阱)是由一对四极线圈和一个Ioffe线圈组合构成的一种Ioffe-Pritchard磁阱,它已广泛应用在囚禁中性原子和实现蒸发冷却原子的实验中.设计了两种不同结构的四极线圈和Ioffe线圈,并对其进行了相应的数值模拟和测试.通过比较获得了一种参数优化的QUIC磁阱,这为QUIC磁阱线圈的优化设计提供了参考.最后在优化的QUIC磁阱中,采用射频蒸发冷却俘获⁸⁷Rb原子,实现了⁸⁷Rb原子气体的玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚,同时采用“共同冷却 关键词： 四极线圈 Ioffe线圈 四极Ioffe线圈组合磁阱 原子冷却     

Recoil-limited laser cooling of 87Sr atoms near the Fermi temperature

A dynamic magneto-optical trap, which relies on the rapid randomization of population in Zeeman substates, has been demonstrated for fermionic strontium atoms on the 1S0-3P1 intercombination transition. The obtained sample, 1x10(6) atoms at a temperature of 2 microK in the trap, was further Doppler cooled and polarized in a far-off resonant optical lattice to achieve 2 times the Fermi temperature.     

Thermodynamics of quantum degenerate gases in optical lattices

The entropy-temperature curves are calculated for noninteracting Bose and Fermi gases in a 3D optical lattice. These curves facilitate understanding of how adiabatic changes in the lattice depth affect the temperature, and we demonstrate regimes where the atomic sample can be significantly heated or cooled by the loading process. We assess the effects of interactions on a Bose gas in a deep optical lattice and show that interactions ultimately limit the extent of cooling that can occur during lattic loading.     

Gravitational phase transition of fermionic matter in a general-relativistic framework

The Thomas–Fermi model at finite temperature is extended to describe a system of self-gravitating weakly interacting massive fermions in a general-relativistic framework. The existence and properties of the gravitational phase transition in this model are investigated numerically. It is shown that when a nondegenerate gas of weakly interacting massive fermions is cooled below some critical temperature, a condensed phase emerges, consisting of quasidegenerate fermion stars. For fermion masses of 10 to 25 keV, these fermion stars may very well provide an alternative explanation for the supermassive compact dark objects that are observed at galactic centers. Received: 23 April 1999 / Revised version: 24 June 1999 / Published online: 28 September 1999     

Anomalous specific-heat jump in a two-component ultracold fermi gas

The thermodynamic functions of a Fermi gas with spin population imbalance are studied in the temperature-asymmetry plane in the BCS limit. The low-temperature domain is characterized by an anomalous enhancement of the entropy and the specific heat above their values in the unpaired state, decrease of the gap and eventual unpairing phase transition as the temperature is lowered. The unpairing phase transition induces a second jump in the specific heat, which can be measured in calorimetric experiments. While the superfluid is unstable against a supercurrent carrying state, it may sustain a metastable state if cooled adiabatically down from the stable high-temperature domain. In the latter domain the temperature dependence of the gap and related functions is analogous to the predictions of the BCS theory.     

Quantum-degenerate mixture of fermionic lithium and bosonic rubidium gases

We report on the observation of sympathetic cooling of a cloud of fermionic 6Li atoms which are thermally coupled to evaporatively cooled bosonic 87Rb. Using this technique we obtain a mixture of quantum-degenerate gases, where the Rb cloud is colder than the critical temperature for Bose-Einstein condensation and the Li cloud is colder than the Fermi temperature. From measurements of the thermalization velocity we estimate the interspecies s-wave triplet scattering length |amx|=20(+9)(-6)aB. We found that the presence of residual rubidium atoms in the |2, 1> and the |1, -1> Zeeman substates gives rise to important losses due to inelastic collisions.     

Observation of resonance condensation of fermionic atom pairs

We have observed condensation of fermionic atom pairs in the BCS-BEC crossover regime. A trapped gas of fermionic 40K atoms is evaporatively cooled to quantum degeneracy and then a magnetic-field Feshbach resonance is used to control the atom-atom interactions. The location of this resonance is precisely determined from low-density measurements of molecule dissociation. In order to search for condensation on either side of the resonance, we introduce a technique that pairwise projects fermionic atoms onto molecules; this enables us to measure the momentum distribution of fermionic atom pairs. The transition to condensation of fermionic atom pairs is mapped out as a function of the initial atom gas temperature T compared to the Fermi temperature T(F) for magnetic-field detunings on both the BCS and BEC sides of the resonance.     

Generation of 13.9 µm radiation from CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> by cascade lasing or externally applied CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> laser

13.9 μm radiation from the 10⁰0-01¹0 transition can be obtained from a CO₂ laser by saturating the 00⁰1-10⁰0, 10.6 μm transition with an internally generated q-switched pulse or by the application of an external 10.6 μm pulse. Because of Fermi resonance between the symmetric stretch and the bending modes, decay of population from the 10⁰0 level is fast, and such lasers operate at low power and energies. A theoretical model was developed to study such lasers. The results of the calculations indicate that a large-aperture E-beam-sustained discharge is effective for excitation of the cryogenically cooled gain medium, which uses He rich mixture at low pressure. The system is scalable and capable of generating large powers and energies.     

Generalization of the theory of three-dimensional quantum Hall effect of Fermi arcs in Weyl semimetal

The quantum Hall effect (QHE), which is usually observed in two-dimensional systems, was predicted theoretically and observed experimentally in three-dimensional (3D) topological semimetal. However, there are some inconsistencies between the theory and the experiments showing the theory is imperfect. Here, we generalize the theory of the 3D QHE of Fermi arcs in Weyl semimetal. Through calculating the sheet Hall conductivity of a Weyl semimetal slab, we show that the 3D QHE of Fermi arcs can occur in a large energy range and the thickness dependences of the QHE in different Fermi energies are distinct. When the Fermi energy is near the Weyl nodes, the Fermi arcs give rise to the QHE which is independent of the thickness of the slab. When the Fermi energy is not near the Weyl nodes, the two Fermi arcs form a complete Fermi loop with the assistance of bulk states giving rise to the QHE which is dependent on the sample thickness. We also demonstrate how the band anisotropic terms influence the QHE of Fermi arcs. Our theory complements the imperfections of the present theory of 3D QHE of Fermi arcs.     

Antiferromagnetism in metals: from the cuprate superconductors to the heavy fermion materials

The critical theory of the onset of antiferromagnetism in metals, with concomitant Fermi surface reconstruction, has recently been shown to be strongly coupled in two spatial dimensions. The onset of unconventional superconductivity near this critical point is reviewed: it involves a subtle interplay between the breakdown of fermionic quasiparticle excitations on the Fermi surface and the strong pairing glue provided by the antiferromagnetic fluctuations. The net result is a logarithm-squared enhancement of the pairing vertex for generic Fermi surfaces, with a universal dimensionless coefficient independent of the strength of interactions, which is expected to lead to superconductivity at the scale of the Fermi energy. We also discuss the possibility that the antiferromagnetic critical point can be replaced by an intermediate 'fractionalized Fermi liquid' phase, in which there is Fermi surface reconstruction but no long-range antiferromagnetic order. We discuss the relevance of this phase to the underdoped cuprates and the heavy fermion materials.     

Distinct fermi surface topology and nodeless superconducting gap in a (Tl0.58Rb0.42)Fe1.72Se2 superconductor

High resolution angle-resolved photoemission measurements have been carried out to study the electronic structure and superconducting gap of the (Tl0.58Rb0.42)Fe1.72Se2 superconductor with a T(c) = 32 K. The Fermi surface topology consists of two electronlike Fermi surface sheets around the Γ point which is distinct from that in all other iron-based superconductors reported so far. The Fermi surface around the M point shows a nearly isotropic superconducting gap of ～12 meV. The large Fermi surface near the Γ point also shows a nearly isotropic superconducting gap of ～15 meV, while no superconducting gap opening is clearly observed for the inner tiny Fermi surface. Our observed new Fermi surface topology and its associated superconducting gap will provide key insights and constraints into the understanding of the superconductivity mechanism in iron-based superconductors.     

Temperature dependence of the universal contact parameter in a unitary Fermi gas

The contact I, introduced by Tan, has emerged as a key parameter characterizing universal properties of strongly interacting Fermi gases. For ultracold Fermi gases near a Feshbach resonance, the contact depends upon two quantities: the interaction parameter 1/(k(F)a), where k(F) is the Fermi wave vector and a is the s-wave scattering length, and the temperature T/T(F), where T(F) is the Fermi temperature. We present the first measurements of the temperature dependence of the contact in a unitary Fermi gas using Bragg spectroscopy. The contact is seen to follow the predicted decay with temperature and shows how pair-correlations at high momentum persist well above the superfluid transition temperature.     

Angle-resolved mapping of the fermi velocity in a quasi-two-dimensional organic conductor

We demonstrate a new method for determining the Fermi velocity in quasi-two-dimensional (Q2D) conductors. Application of a magnetic field parallel to the conducting layers results in periodic open orbit quasiparticle trajectories along the Q2D Fermi surface. Averaging of this motion over the Fermi surface leads to a resonance in the interlayer microwave conductivity. The resonance frequency is simply related to the extremal value of the Fermi velocity perpendicular to the applied field. Thus, angle dependent microwave studies enable a complete mapping of the in-plane Fermi velocity. We illustrate the applicability of this method for the highly 2D organic conductor kappa-(BEDT-TTF)2I3.     

Phase diagram of strongly correlated Fermi systems

Phase transitions caused by the redistribution of quasiparticle occupation numbers n(p) in homogeneous Fermi systems with particle repulsion are analyzed. The phase diagram of a strongly correlated Fermi system, when drawn in the coordinates “density ρ-dimensionless coupling constant η,” resembles a Washington pie for a rather broad class of interactions. Its upper part is “filled” with Fermi condensate, and the bottom part is filled with normal Fermi liquid. Both parts are separated by a narrow interlayer of Lifshitz phase with a multiply connected Fermi surface.     

Structure of the ground state of a nonsuperfluid dense quark-gluon plasma

The single-particle spectrum and momentum distribution of quasiparticles in a cold dense quark-gluon plasma are calculated within the Fermi liquid approach. It is shown that this system does not behave as a standard Fermi liquid: at zero temperature, the single-particle spectrum has a plateau at the Fermi surface, while the Fermi surface itself has a nonzero volume in momentum space.     

Ultracold Atomic Fermi–Bose Mixtures in Bichromatic Optical Dipole Traps: A Novel Route to Study Fermion Superfluidity

The study of low density, ultracold atomic Fermi gases is a promising avenue to understand fermion superfluidity from first principles. One technique currently used to bring Fermi gases in the degenerate regime is sympathetic cooling through a reservoir made of an ultracold Bose gas. We discuss a proposal for trapping and cooling of two-species Fermi–Bose mixtures into optical dipole traps made from combinations of laser beams having two different wavelengths. In these bichromatic traps it is possible, by a proper choice of the relative laser powers, to selectively trap the two species in such a way that fermions experience a stronger confinement than bosons. As a consequence, a deep Fermi degeneracy can be reached having at the same time a softer degenerate regime for the Bose gas. This leads to an increase in the sympathetic cooling efficiency and allows for higher precision thermometry of the Fermi–Bose mixture.     

Topological approach to Luttinger's theorem and the fermi surface of a kondo lattice

A nonperturbative proof of Luttinger's theorem, based on a topological argument, is given for Fermi liquids in arbitrary dimensions. Application to the Kondo lattice shows that even completely localized spins contribute to the Fermi sea volume as electrons, whenever the system can be described as a Fermi liquid.