Role reversal in first and second sound in a relativistic superfluid

Abstract

Relativistic superfluidity at arbitrary temperature, chemical potential and (uniform) superflow is discussed within a self-consistent field-theoretical approach. Our starting point is a complex scalar field with a ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}^{4}$ interaction, for which we calculate the two-particle-irreducible effective action in the Hartree approximation. With this underlying microscopic theory, we can obtain the two-fluid picture of a superfluid, and compute properties such as the superfluid density and the entrainment coefficient for all temperatures below the critical temperature for superfluidity. We compute the critical velocity, taking into account the full self-consistent effect of the temperature and superflow on the quasiparticle dispersion. We also discuss first and second sound modes and how first (second) sound evolves from a density (temperature) wave at low temperatures to a temperature (density) wave at high temperatures. This role reversal is investigated for ultrarelativistic and near-nonrelativistic systems for zero and nonzero superflow. For nonzero superflow, we also observe a role reversal as a function of the direction of the sound wave.