Cooper-pair coherence in a superfluid Fermi-gas of atoms

We study the coherence properties of a trapped two-component gas of fermionic atoms below the BCS critical temperature. We propose an optical method to investigate the Cooper-pair coherence across different regions of the superfluid. Near-resonant laser light is used to induce transitions between the two coupled hyperfine states. The beam is split so that it probes two spatially separate regions of the gas. Absorption of the light in this interferometric scheme depends on the Cooper-pair coherence between the two regions.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to J. Phys. B as a proceedings of the Salerno 2001 BEC worksho

Low energy collective excitations in a superfluid trapped Fermi gas

We study low energy collective excitations in a trapped superfluid Fermi gas, that describe slow variations of the phase of the superfluid order parameter. Well below the critical temperature the corresponding eigenfrequencies turn out to be of the order of the trap frequency, and these modes manifest themselves as the eigenmodes of the density fluctuations of the gas sample. The latter could provide an experimental evidence of the presence of the superfluid phase.Comment: 5 pages, REVTeX, referencies correcte

Laser-induced collective excitations in a two-component Fermi gas

We consider the linear density response of a two-component (superfluid) Fermi gas of atoms when the perturbation is caused by laser light. We show that various types of laser excitation schemes can be transformed into linear density perturbations, however, a Bragg spectroscopy scheme is needed for transferring energy and momentum into a collective mode. This makes other types of laser probing schemes insensitive for collective excitations and therefore well suited for the detection of the superfluid order parameter. We show that for the special case when laser light is coupled between the two components of the Fermi gas, density response is always absent in a homogeneous system.Comment: 6 pages, no figure

Diffraction of a superfluid Fermi gas by an atomic grating

An atomic grating generated by a pulsed standing wave laser field is proposed to manipulate the superfluid state in a quantum degenerate gas of fermionic atoms. We show that in the presence of atomic Cooper pairs, the density oscillations of the gas caused by the atomic grating exhibit a much longer coherence time than that in the normal Fermi gas. Our result indicates that the technique of a pulsed atomic grating can be a potential candidate to detect the atomic superfluid state in a quantum degenerate Fermi gas.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Laser probing of Cooper-paired trapped atoms

We consider a gas of trapped Cooper-paired fermionic atoms which are manipulated by laser light. The laser induces a transition from an internal state with large negative scattering length (superfluid) to one with weaker interactions (normal gas). We show that the process can be used to detect the presence of the superconducting order parameter. Also, we propose a direct way of measuring the size of the gap in the trap. The efficiency and feasibility of this probing method is investigated in detail in different physical situations.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure

Vortices in superfluid trapped Fermi gases at zero temperature

We discuss various aspects of the vortex state of a dilute superfluid atomic Fermi gas at T=0. The energy of the vortex in a trapped gas is calculated and we provide an expression for the thermodynamic critical rotation frequency of the trap for its formation. Furthermore, we propose a method to detect the presence of a vortex by calculating the effect of its associated velocity field on the collective mode spectrum of the gas

Signatures of resonance superfluidity in a quantum Fermi gas

In this letter, we predict a direct and observable signature of the superfluid phase in a quantum Fermi gas, in a temperature regime already accessible in current experiments. We apply the theory of resonance superfluidity to a gas confined in a harmonic potential and demonstrate that a significant increase in density will be observed in the vicinity of the trap center.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

A Carbon Nanofilament-Bead Necklace

Carbon nanofilaments with carbon beads grown on their surfaces were successfully synthesized reproducibly by a floating catalyst CVD method. The nanofilaments hosting the pearl-like structures typically show an average diameter of about 60 nm, which mostly consists of low-ordered graphite layers. The beads with diameter range 150−450 nm are composed of hundreds of crumpled and random graphite layers. The mechanism for the formation of these beaded nanofilaments is ascribed to two nucleation processes of the pyrolytic carbon deposition, arising from a temperature gradient between different parts of the reaction chamber. Furthermore, the Raman scattering properties of the beaded nanofilaments have been measured, as well as their confocal Raman G-line images. The Raman spectra reveal that that the trunks of the nanofilaments have better graphitic properties than the beads, which is consistent with the HRTEM analysis. The beaded nanofilaments are expected to have high potential applications in composites, which should exhibit both particle- and fiber-reinforcing functions for the host matrixes

Langevin equations for interacting fermions and Cooper-like pairing in trapped one-dimensional fermions

Momentum correlations in a one-dimensional equilibrium ensemble of trapped fermions, with a point interaction between particles of opposite spin have been studied. In the degenerate regime correlations were observed between fermions with opposite spins and momenta, similar to Cooper pairing. These correlations appear as soon as the temperature is below the Fermi energy, which is a much less stringent condition than that of the BCS transition proper. Calculations are carried out in both perturbative and non-perturbative regimes. To achieve the latter. it is shown that interacting fermionic dynamics may be solved as a stochastic linear transformation of Grassmann algebra generators, much in the way random c-number paths are introduced in the conventional quantum stochastics of bosons. Importantly, the method thus emerging is inherently free of the sign problem

Characterization of Leishmania donovani Aquaporins Shows Presence of Subcellular Aquaporins Similar to Tonoplast Intrinsic Proteins of Plants

Leishmania donovani, a protozoan parasite, resides in the macrophages of the mammalian host. The aquaporin family of proteins form important components of the parasite-host interface. The parasite-host interface could be a potential target for chemotherapy. Analysis of L. major and L. infantum genomes showed the presence of five aquaporins (AQPs) annotated as AQP9 (230aa), AQP putative (294aa), AQP-like protein (279aa), AQP1 (314aa) and AQP-like protein (596aa). We report here the structural modeling, localization and functional characterization of the AQPs from L. donovani. LdAQP1, LdAQP9, LdAQP2860 and LdAQP2870 have the canonical NPA-NPA motifs, whereas LdAQP putative has a non-canonical NPM-NPA motif. In the carboxyl terminal to the second NPA box of all AQPs except AQP1, a valine/alanine residue was found instead of the arginine. In that respect these four AQPs are similar to tonoplast intrinsic proteins in plants, which are localized to intracellular organelles. Confocal microscopy of L. donovani expressing GFP-tagged AQPs showed an intracellular localization of LdAQP9 and LdAQP2870. Real-time PCR assays showed expression of all aquaporins except LdAQP2860, whose level was undetectable. Three-dimensional homology modeling of the AQPs showed that LdAQP1 structure bears greater topological similarity to the aquaglyceroporin than to aquaporin of E. coli. The pore of LdAQP1 was very different from the rest in shape and size. The cavity of LdAQP2860 was highly irregular and undefined in geometry. For functional characterization, four AQP proteins were heterologously expressed in yeast. In the fps1Δ yeast cells, which lacked the key aquaglyceroporin, LdAQP1 alone displayed an osmosensitive phenotype indicating glycerol transport activity. However, expression of LdAQP1 and LdAQP putative in a yeast gpd1Δ strain, deleted for glycerol production, conferred osmosensitive phenotype indicating water transport activity or aquaporin function. Our analysis for the first time shows the presence of subcellular aquaporins and provides structural and functional characterization of aquaporins in Leishmania donovani