Dynamical Properties of the Unitary Fermi Gas: Collective Modes and Shock Waves

We discuss the unitary Fermi gas made of dilute and ultracold atoms with an infinite s-wave inter-atomic scattering length. First we introduce an efficient Thomas–Fermi–von Weizsacker density functional which describes accurately various static properties of the unitary Fermi gas trapped by an external potential. Then, the sound velocity and the collective frequencies of oscillations in a harmonic trap are derived from extended superfluid hydrodynamic equations which are the Euler–Lagrange equations of a Thomas–Fermi–von Weizsacker action functional. Finally, we show that this amazing Fermi gas supports supersonic and subsonic shock waves.     

Bosons in cigar-shaped traps: Thomas-Fermi regime, Tonks-Girardeau regime, and in between.

We present a quantitative analysis of the experimental accessibility of the Tonks-Girardeau gas in present-day experiments with cigar-trapped alkalis. For this purpose we derive, using a Bethe ansatz generated local equation of state, a set of hydrostatic equations describing one-dimensional, delta-interacting Bose gases trapped in a harmonic potential. The resulting solutions cover the entire range of atomic densities.     

Positivity-preserving high order discontinuous Galerkin schemes for compressible Euler equations with source terms

In [16], [17], we constructed uniformly high order accurate discontinuous Galerkin (DG) schemes which preserve positivity of density and pressure for the Euler equations of compressible gas dynamics with the ideal gas equation of state. The technique also applies to high order accurate finite volume schemes. For the Euler equations with various source terms (e.g., gravity and chemical reactions), it is more difficult to design high order schemes which do not produce negative density or pressure. In this paper, we first show that our framework to construct positivity-preserving high order schemes in [16], [17] can also be applied to Euler equations with a general equation of state. Then we discuss an extension to Euler equations with source terms. Numerical tests of the third order Runge–Kutta DG (RKDG) method for Euler equations with different types of source terms are reported.     

Topological superfluid in a two-dimensional polarized Fermi gas with spin-orbit coupling and adiabatic rotation

We study the properties of superfluid in a two-dimensional(2 D) polarized Fermi gas with spin–orbit coupling and adiabatic rotation which are trapped in a harmonic potential. Due to the competition between polarization, spin–orbit coupling, and adiabatic rotation, the Fermi gas exhibits many intriguing phenomena. By using the Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer(BCS) mean-field method with local density approximation, we investigate the dependence of order parameter solution on the spin–orbit coupling strength and the rotation velocity. The energy spectra with different rotation velocities are studied in detail. Besides, the conditions for the zero-energy Majorana fermions in topological superfluid phase to be observed are obtained. By investigating distributions of number density, we find that the rotation has opposite effect on the distribution of number density with different spins, which leads to the enhancement of the polarization of Fermi gas. Here,we focus on the region of BCS pairing and ignore the Fulde–Ferrell–Larkin–Ovchinnikov state.     

One-dimensional bosons in three-dimensional traps

Recent experimental and theoretical work has indicated conditions in which a trapped, low density Bose gas ought to behave like the 1D delta-function Bose gas solved by Lieb and Liniger. Up until now, the theoretical arguments have been based on variational/perturbative ideas or numerical investigations. There are four parameters: density, transverse and longitudinal dimensions, and scattering length. In this paper we explicate five parameter regions in which various types of 1D or 3D behavior occur in the ground state. Our treatment is based on a rigorous analysis of the many-body Schr?dinger equation.     

First and second sound in cylindrically trapped gases

We investigate the propagation of density and temperature waves in a cylindrically trapped gas with radial harmonic confinement. Starting from two-fluid hydrodynamic theory we derive effective 1D equations for the chemical potential and the temperature which explicitly account for the effects of viscosity and thermal conductivity. Differently from quantum fluids confined by rigid walls, the harmonic confinement allows for the propagation of both first and second sound in the long wavelength limit. We provide quantitative predictions for the two sound velocities of a superfluid Fermi gas at unitarity. For shorter wavelengths we discover a new surprising class of excitations continuously spread over a finite interval of frequencies. This results in a nondissipative damping in the response function which is analytically calculated in the limiting case of a classical ideal gas.     

Phase diagram and deformed phase separation for a trapped Fermi gas with population imbalance and BCS pairing interaction

We study the phase separated state of an ultracold atomic Fermi gas confined in a three-dimensional quantum harmonic trap with a BCS pairing interaction. Examining various finite-temperature phase diagrams, we investigate the interplay between the filling of the quantum trap energy levels and the pairing energy. We find that a low (high) filling leads to a large (small) critical population imbalance for the superfluid/normal transition, together with a fully (partially) polarized normal part. We also show that the decrease of the density leads to a changeover of the shape of the superfluid core from an equipotential form to a deformed one. Moreover, we clarify the intrinsic mechanisms that lead to the deformation, providing a unified scenario for phase separation and deformation in a trapped Fermi gas, allowing for a possible interpretation of the apparently controversial experimental findings.     

Definition and measurement of global thermodynamic variables for laser-cooled trapped gas

We have used the definition of global thermodynamic variables like pressure and volume for atoms trapped in a nonuniform potential to measure the state equation for a sample of cold Na atoms kept trapped in a quadrupole magnetic field. The results show that, for low atomic density, the system behaves like an ideal gas where pressure and volume are inversely proportional. At high density values (compressed system), the deviation from an ideal gas is clear. A model based on virial expansion shows that the measured deviation is larger than the expected first-order correction. Employing the concept of global variables may be an important procedure to describe the thermodynamic of gases in the ultracold regime eventually crossing the values where critical phenomena like Bose condensation, among others, take place.     

Symmetry Breaking Ground States of Bose-Einstein Condensates in 1D Double Square Well and Optical Lattice Well

We investigate the phenomena of symmetry breaking and phase transition in the ground state of Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) trapped in a double square well and in an optical lattice well, respectively. By using standing-wave expansion method, we present symmetric and asymmetric ground state solutions of nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE) with a symmetric double square well potential for attractive nonlinearity. In particular, we study the ground state wave function's properties by changing the depth of potential and atomic interactions (here we restrict ourselves to the attractive regime). By using the Fourier grid Hamiltonian method, we also reveal a phase transition of BECs trapped in one-dimensional optical lattice potential.     

The energy distribution of an ion in a radiofrequency trap interacting with a nonuniform neutral buffer gas

An ion in a radiofrequency (rf) trap sympathetically cooled by a simultaneously trapped neutral buffer gas exhibits deviations from thermal statistics caused by collision-induced coupling of the rf field to the ion motion. For a uniform density distribution of the buffer gas, the energy distribution of the ion can be described by Tsallis statistics. Moreover, runaway heating of the ion occurs if the buffer gas particles are sufficiently heavy relative to the ion. In typical experiments, however, ultracold buffer gases are confined in traps resulting in localised, non-uniform density distributions. Using a superstatistical approach, we develop an analytical model for an ion interacting with a localised buffer gas. We demonstrate theoretically that limiting collisions to the centre of the ion trap enables cooling at far greater mass ratios than achievable using a uniform buffer gas, but that an upper limit to the usable mass ratio exists even in this case. Furthermore, we analytically derive the functional form of the energy distribution for an ion interacting with a buffer gas held in a harmonic potential. The analytical distribution obtained is found to be in excellent agreement with the results of numerical simulations.     

Beyond the Tonks-Girardeau gas: strongly correlated regime in quasi-one-dimensional Bose gases

We consider a homogeneous 1D Bose gas with contact interactions and a large attractive coupling constant. This system can be realized in tight waveguides by exploiting a confinement induced resonance of the effective 1D scattering amplitude. By using the diffusion Monte Carlo method we show that, for small densities, the gaslike state is well described by a gas of hard rods. The critical density for cluster formation is estimated using the variational Monte Carlo method. The behavior of the correlation functions and of the frequency of the lowest breathing mode for harmonically trapped systems shows that the gas is more strongly correlated than in the Tonks-Girardeau regime.     

原子激射器的空间有效增益范围

求出了γ维空间中理想玻色气体的态密度,采用Thomas-Fermi近似,导出了γ维广义幂律势阱中粒子数密度的空间分布.在此基础上,求出了原子激射器的空间有效增益范围(即γ维势阱中玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚的空间有效范围),并对其产生影响的相关因素进行了讨论.     

Static properties of trapped bose gases at finite temperature: Thomas-Fermi limit

We rely on a variational approach to derive a set of equations governing a trapped self-interacting Bose gas at finite temperature. In this work, we analyze the static situation both at zero and finite temperature in the Thomas-Fermi limit for the repulsive case. We derive simple analytic expressions for the condensate properties at finite temperature. The noncondensate and anomalous density profiles are also analyzed in terms of the condensate fraction. The results are quite encouraging owing to the simplicity of the formalism.     

BEC from a time-dependent variational point of view

We use the time-dependent variational principle of Balian and Vénéroni to derive a set of equations governing the dynamics of a trapped Bose gas at finite temperature. We show that this dynamics generalizes the Gross-Pitaevskii equations in that it introduces a consistent dynamical coupling between the evolution of the condensate density, the thermal cloud, and the “anomalous” density.     

Condensed fraction of an atomic Bose gas induced by critical correlations

We study the condensed fraction of a harmonically trapped atomic Bose gas at the critical point predicted by mean-field theory. The nonzero condensed fraction f(0) is induced by critical correlations which increase the transition temperature T(c) above T(c) (MF). Unlike the T(c) shift in a trapped gas, f(0) is sensitive only to the critical behavior in the quasiuniform part of the cloud near the trap center. To leading order in the interaction parameter a/λ(0), where a is the s-wave scattering length and λ(0) the thermal wavelength, we expect a universal scaling f(0) proportionally (a/λ(0))(4). We experimentally verify this scaling using a Feshbach resonance to tune a/λ(0). Further, using the local density approximation, we compare our measurements with the universal result obtained from Monte Carlo simulations for a uniform system, and find excellent quantitative agreement.     

Unitarity Schrödinger Equation and Ground State Properties of the Finite Trapped Superfluid Fermi Gases in a BCS-BEC Crossover

On the basis of quantum hydrodynamical equations we derive a unitarity Schrödinger equation of a finite trapped superfluid Fermi gas valid in the whole interaction regime from BCS superfluid to BEC. This equation is just the Ginzburg-Laudau-type equation for the fermionic Cooper pairs in the BCS side, the Gross-Pitaevskii-type equation for the bosonic dimers in the BEC side, and a unitarity equation for a strongly interacting Fermi superfluid in the unitarity limit. By taking a modified Gauss-like trial wave function, we solve the unitarity Schrödinger equation, calculate the energy, chemical potential, sizes and profiles of the ground-state condensate, and discuss the properties of the ground state in the entire BCS-BEC crossover regimes.     

Phase transition of trapped interacting Bose gases

We review some recent theoretical work on the phase transition of interacting Bose gases in the presence of external trapping potentials. A general framework for the study of such questions is presented which is based on the application of perturbative momentum-shell renormalization group methods to the trapped gas in the uncondensed phase. After giving an overview of this approach, we first establish its validity by comparing to previous results for homogeneous and harmonically trapped gases. Using this theoretical framework, we then examine various aspects of how external potentials influence the physics of condensation. (i) By studying the case of general power-law potentials and complemented by arguments from variational perturbation theory, it is quantitatively worked out how a growing inhomogeneity of the trapping potential diminishes nonperturbative effects at the transition. (ii) It is shown how by superimposing a weak periodic potentials on the homogeneous system, the characteristic nonperturbative momentum scale of critical interacting Bose gases can be probed. (iii) For a gas in a random potential, it is studied how condensation is affected by the combined influence of disorder effects and particle interactions.     

Quantum field theoretical description of unstable behavior of trapped Bose-Einstein condensates with complex eigenvalues of Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations

The Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations are used for a number of theoretical works on the trapped Bose-Einstein condensates. These equations are known to give the energies of the quasi-particles when all the eigenvalues are real. We consider the case in which these equations have complex eigenvalues. We give the complete set including those modes whose eigenvalues are complex. The quantum fields which represent neutral atoms are expanded in terms of the complete set. It is shown that the state space is an indefinite metric one and that the free Hamiltonian is not diagonalizable in the conventional bosonic representation. We introduce a criterion to select quantum states describing the metastablity of the condensate, called the physical state conditions. In order to study the instability, we formulate the linear response of the density against the time-dependent external perturbation within the regime of Kubo’s linear response theory. Some states, satisfying all the physical state conditions, give the blow-up and damping behavior of the density distributions corresponding to the complex eigenmodes. It is qualitatively consistent with the result of the recent analyses using the time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii equation.     

Thermodynamics of a two-dimensional interacting Bose gas trapped in a quartic potential

We have studied the Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) of an interacting Bose gas confined in a two-dimensional (2D) quartic potential by using a mean-field, semiclassical two-fluid model. A thermodynamic analysis including the chemical potential, condensate fraction, total energy, and specific heat has been carried out by considering different values of the interaction strength. Finally, we have found that the behaviour of the condensate fraction and specific heat of quartically trapped bosons differs from those of bosons trapped in a harmonic potential.     

Positivity-preserving high order finite difference WENO schemes for compressible Euler equations

In Zhang and Shu (2010) [20], Zhang and Shu (2011) [21] and Zhang et al. (in press) [23], we constructed uniformly high order accurate discontinuous Galerkin (DG) and finite volume schemes which preserve positivity of density and pressure for the Euler equations of compressible gas dynamics. In this paper, we present an extension of this framework to construct positivity-preserving high order essentially non-oscillatory (ENO) and weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) finite difference schemes for compressible Euler equations. General equations of state and source terms are also discussed. Numerical tests of the fifth order finite difference WENO scheme are reported to demonstrate the good behavior of such schemes.