Shell Effects and Phase Separation in a Trapped Multi-Component Fermi System

Shell effects in the coordinate space can be seen with degenerate Fermi vapors in non-uniform trapping potentials. In particular, below the Fermi temperature, the density profile of a Fermi gas in a confining harmonic potential is characterized by several local maxima. This effect is enhanced for "magic numbers" of particles and in quasi-1D (cigar-shaped) configurations. In the case of a multi-component Fermi vapor, the separation of Fermi components in different spatial shells (phase-separation) depends on temperature, number of particles and scattering length. We derive analytical formulas, based on bifurcation theory, for the critical density of Fermions and the critical chemical potential, which give rise to the phase-separation.Comment: to be published in the Proceedings of the VIII Meeting on Problems in Theoretical Nuclear Physics, Cortona, October 18-20, 2000, Ed. G. Pisent, A. Fabrocini and L. Canton (World Scientific

Bosonic clouds with attractive interaction beyond the local interaction approximation

We study the properties of a Bose-Einstein condensed cloud of atoms with negative scattering length confined in a harmonic trap. When a realistic non local (finite range) effective interaction is taken into account, we find that, besides the known low density metastable solution, a new branch of Bose condensate appears at higher density. This state is self-bound but its density can be quite low if the number $N$ of atoms is not too big. The transition between the two classes of solutions as a function of $N$ can be either sharp or smooth according to the ratio between the range of the attractive interaction and the length of the trap. A tight trap leads to a smooth transition. In addition to the energy and the shape of the cloud we study also the dynamics of the system. In particular, we study the frequencies of collective oscillation of the Bose condensate as a function of the number of atoms both in the local and in the non local case. Moreover, we consider the dynamics of the cloud when the external trap is switched off.Comment: Latex, 6 pages, 2 figure, 1 table, presented to the International Symposium of Quantum Fluids and Solids 98, Amherst (USA), 9-14 June 199

Effective wave-equations for the dynamics of cigar-shaped and disc-shaped Bose condensates

Starting from the 3D Gross-Pitaevskii equation and using a variational approach, we derive an effective 1D wave-equation that describes the axial dynamics of a Bose condensate confined in an external potential with cylindrical symmetry. The trapping potential is harmonic in the transverse direction and generic in the axial one. Our equation, that is a time-dependent non-polynomial nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation (1D NPSE), can be used to model cigar-shaped condensates, whose dynamics is essentially 1D. We show that 1D NPSE gives much more accurate results than all other effective equations recently proposed. By using 1D NPSE we find analytical solutions for bright and dark solitons, which generalize the ones known in the literature. We deduce also an effective 2D non-polynomial Schr\"odinger equation (2D NPSE) that models disc-shaped Bose condensates confined in an external trap that is harmonic along the axial direction and generic in the transverse direction. In the limiting cases of weak and strong interaction, our approach gives rise to Schr\"odinger-like equations with different polynomial nonlinearities.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.

Fluctuations and Pattern Formation in Fluids with Competing Interactions

One of the most interesting phenomena in the soft-matter realm consists in the spontaneous formation of super-molecular structures (microphases) in condition of thermodynamic equilibrium. A simple mechanism responsible for this self-organization or pattern formation is based on the competition between attractive and repulsive forces with different length scales in the microscopic potential, typically, a short-range attraction against a longer-range repulsion. We analyse this problem by simulations in 2D fluids. We find that, as the temperature is lowered, liquid-vapor phase separation is inhibited by the competition between attraction and repulsion, and replaced by a transition to non-homogeneous phases. The structure of the fluid shows well defined signatures of the presence of both intra- and inter-cluster correlations. Even when the competition between attraction and repulsion is not so strong as to cause microphase formation, it still induces large density fluctuations in a wide region of the temperature-density plane. In this large-fluctuation regime, pattern formation can be triggered by a weak external modulating field.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of the "International workshop on collective phenomena in macroscopic systems", 2006 Villa Olmo (Como), Ital

Thermodynamics of Bose-Condensed Atomic Hydrogen

We study the thermodynamics of the Bose-condensed atomic hydrogen confined in the Ioffe-Pritchard potential. Such a trapping potential, that models the magnetic trap used in recent experiments with hydrogen, is anharmonic and strongly anisotropic. We calculate the ground-state properties, the condensed and non-condensed fraction and the Bose-Einstein transition temperature. The thermodynamics of the system is strongly affected by the anharmonicity of this external trap. Finally, we consider the possibility to detect Josephson-like currents by creating a double-well barrier with a laser beam.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, to be published in European Physical Journal

Thermodynamics of a trapped Bose condensate with negative scattering length

We study the Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) for a system of $^7Li$ atoms, which have negative scattering length (attractive interaction), confined in a harmonic potential. Within the Bogoliubov and Popov approximations, we numerically calculate the density profile for both condensate and non-condensate fractions and the spectrum of elementary excitations. In particular, we analyze the temperature and number-of-boson dependence of these quantities and evaluate the BEC transition temperature $T_{BEC}$. We calculate the loss rate for inelastic two- and three-body collisions. We find that the total loss rate is strongly dependent on the density profile of the condensate, but this density profile does not appreciably change by increasing the thermal fraction. Moreover, we study, using the quasi-classical Popov approximation, the temperature dependence of the critical number $N_c$ of condensed bosons, for which there is the collapse of the condensate. There are different regimes as a function of the total number $N$ of atoms. For $N<N_c$ the condensate is always metastable but for $N>N_c$ the condensate is metastable only for temperatures that exceed a critical value $T_c$.Comment: RevTex, 7 postscript figures, to be published in Journal of Low Temperature Phsyic

Phase diagram of symmetric binary mixtures at equimolar and non-equimolar concentrations: a systematic investigation

We consider symmetric binary mixtures consisting of spherical particles with equal diameters interacting via a hard-core plus attractive tail potential with strengths epsilon_{ij}, i,j=1,2, such that epsilon_{11} = epsilon_{22} > epsilon_{12}. The phase diagram of the system at all densities and concentrations is investigated as a function of the unlike-to-like interaction ratio delta = epsilon_{12}/epsilon_{11} by means of the hierarchical reference theory (HRT). The results are related to those of previous investigations performed at equimolar concentration, as well as to the topology of the mean-field critical lines. As delta is increased in the interval 0 < delta < 1, we find first a regime where the phase diagram at equal species concentration displays a tricritical point, then one where both a tricritical and a liquid-vapor critical point are present. We did not find any clear evidence of the critical endpoint topology predicted by mean-field theory as delta approaches 1, at least up to delta=0.8, which is the largest value of delta investigated here. Particular attention was paid to the description of the critical-plus-tricritical point regime in the whole density-concentration plane. In this situation, the phase diagram shows, in a certain temperature interval, a coexistence region that encloses an island of homogeneous, one-phase fluid.Comment: 27 pages + 20 figure

Thermodynamics of Solitonic Matter Waves in a Toroidal Trap

We investigate the thermodynamic properties of a Bose-Einstein condensate with negative scattering length confined in a toroidal trapping potential. By numerically solving the coupled Gross-Pitaevskii and Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations, we study the phase transition from the uniform state to the symmetry-breaking state characterized by a bright-soliton condensate and a localized thermal cloud. In the localized regime three states with a finite condensate fraction are present: the thermodynamically stable localized state, a metastable localized state and also a metastable uniform state. Remarkably, the presence of the stable localized state strongly increases the critical temperature of Bose-Einstein condensation.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Physical Review A as a Rapid Communication. Related papers can be found at http://www.padova.infm.it/salasnich/tdqg.htm

Transition from 3D to 1D in Bose Gases at Zero Temperature

We investigate the effects of dimensional reduction in Bose gases induced by a strong harmonic confinement in the transverse cylindric radial direction. By using a generalized Lieb-Liniger theory, based on a variational treatment of the transverse width of the Bose gas, we analyze the transition from a 3D Bose-Einstein condensate to the 1D Tonks-Girardeau gas. The sound velocity and the frequency of the lowest compressional mode give a clear signature of the regime involved. We study also the case of negative scattering length deriving the phase diagram of the Bose gas (uniform, single soliton, multi soliton and collapsed) in toroidal confinement.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.