Degenerate Mixture Research Articles

Realization of aSU(2)×SU(6)System of Fermions in a Cold Atomic Gas

We report the realization of a novel degenerate Fermi mixture with an SU(2)×SU(6) symmetry in a cold atomic gas. We successfully cool the mixture of the two fermionic isotopes of ytterbium 171Yb with the nuclear spin I=1/2 and 173Yb with I=5/2 below the Fermi temperature T_{F} as 0.46TF for 171Yb and 0.54TF for 173Yb. The same scattering lengths for different spin components make this mixture featured with the novel SU(2)×SU(6) symmetry. The nuclear spin components are separately imaged by exploiting an optical Stern-Gerlach effect. In addition, the mixture is loaded into a 3D optical lattice to implement the SU(2)×SU(6) Hubbard model. This mixture will open the door to the study of novel quantum phases such as a spinor Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer-like fermionic superfluid.

A Deflation Procedure for Subspace Decomposition

A general deflation framework is described for the separation of a desired signal subspace of arbitrary dimensions from noisy multichannel observations. The method simultaneously uses single and multichannel priors to split the desired and undesired subspaces, even for coplanar (intersecting) subspaces. By appropriate use of signal priors, it can even extract signals from degenerate mixtures of signals and noise recorded from a few number of channels in low SNR scenarios, without the reduction of the data dimensions. As a case study, the performance of the proposed method is studied for the problem of extracting fetal cardiac signals from maternal abdominal recordings, over simulated and real data. A second case study deals with the degenerate problem of extracting diaphragmatic electromyogram from electrocardiograph artifacts. A provisional patent application based on this method has been filed.

Macroscopic quantum self-trapping of an ultracold Bose–Fermi mixture in a double-well potential

We study the macroscopic quantum self-trapping effect in a mixture of Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) and quantum degenerate fermions, confined in a double-well potential with a variable separation between the wells. The fermions form a finite-size cloud that affects the static and dynamical properties of the BEC. In particular, our quasi-analytical and numerical analysis based on a mean-field model shows that the main features of macroscopic quantum self-trapping in a pure bosonic system are modified by the influence of fermions. Both the onset of self-trapping and the properties of the self-trapped state depend on the amount of fermions in the system as well as on the type of inter-species interaction. The properties of the quantum degenerate mixture are explored using realistic parameters for a 40K–87Rb system.

Role of Interactions inRb87−K40Bose-Fermi Mixtures in a 3D Optical Lattice

We investigate the effect of interspecies interaction on a degenerate mixture of bosonic 87Rb and fermionic 40K atoms in a three-dimensional optical lattice potential. Using a Feshbach resonance, the 87Rb-40K interaction is tuned over a wide range. Through an analysis of the 87Rb momentum distribution, we find a pronounced asymmetry between strong repulsion and strong attraction. In the latter case, we observe a marked shift in the superfluid to Mott insulator transition, which we attribute to a renormalization of the Bose-Hubbard parameters due to self-trapping.

Creation of three-species 87Rb–40K–6Li molecules: interfering for the best

An ultracold three-species Bose–Fermi–Fermi degenerate atomic mixture 87Rb–40K–6Li was realized very recently (Tagliber M et al 2008 Phys. Rev. Lett. 100 010401). Here, we study the creation of heteronuclear triatomic molecules in this mixture, and show that a constructive triple-path interference can lead to an almost ideal conversion rate, in comparison with the single- or double-path cases. The important effect of the initial population imbalance on the atom–molecule dark state is also investigated.

Thermodynamical approaches to efficient sympathetic cooling in ultracold Fermi-Bose atomic mixtures

We discuss the cooling efficiency of ultracold Fermi-Bose mixtures in species-selective traps using a thermodynamical approach. The dynamics of evaporative cooling trajectories is analyzed in the specific case of bichromatic optical dipole traps also taking into account the effect of partial spatial overlap between the Fermi gas and the thermal component of the Bose gas. We show that large trapping frequency ratios between the Fermi and the Bose species allow for the achievement of a deeper Fermi degeneracy, consolidating in a thermodynamic setting earlier arguments based on more restrictive assumptions. In particular, we confirm that the minimum temperature of the mixture is obtained at the crossover between boson and fermion heat capacities, and that below such a temperature sympathetic cooling vanishes. When the effect of partial overlap is taken into account, optimal sympathetic cooling of the Fermi species may be achieved by properly tuning the relative trapping strength of the two species in a time-dependent fashion. Alternatively, the dimensionality of the trap in the final stage of cooling can be changed by increasing the confinement strength, which also results in a crossover of the heat capacities at deeper Fermi degeneracies. This technique may be extended to Fermi-Bose degenerate mixtures in optical lattices.

On the critical temperature in a Boson-Fermion mixture with attraction between the components

The dependence of the critical temperature shift in the Bose component of a degenerate Bose-Fermi gas mixture in a harmonic trap on the number of bosons and fermions has been obtained on the basis of the effective Hamiltonian of the Bose subsystem. The presence of the Fermi component leads to a qualitatively new behavior of the shift, as compared to the case of a single interacting Bose gas in the trap. Namely, the Tc(N) dependence has a different curvature in the presence of the Fermi component.

Degenerate Bose-Bose mixture in a three-dimensional optical lattice

We produce a heteronuclear quantum degenerate mixture of two bosonic species, $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ and $^{41}\mathrm{K}$, in a three-dimensional optical lattice. On raising the lattice barriers, we observe the disappearance of the inference pattern of the heavier $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$, shifting toward shallower lattice depths in the presence of a minor fraction of $^{41}\mathrm{K}$. This effect is sizable and requires only a marginal overlap between the two species. We compare our results with similar findings reported for Fermi-Bose mixtures and discuss the interpretation scenarios proposed to date, arguing that the explanation may be linked to the increased effective mass due to the interspecies interactions.

Quantum Degenerate Two-Species Fermi-Fermi Mixture Coexisting with a Bose-Einstein Condensate

We report on the generation of a quantum degenerate Fermi-Fermi mixture of two different atomic species. The quantum degenerate mixture is realized employing sympathetic cooling of fermionic 6Li and 40K gases by an evaporatively cooled bosonic 87Rb gas. We describe the combination of trapping and cooling methods that proved crucial to successfully cool the mixture. In particular, we study the last part of the cooling process and show that the efficiency of sympathetic cooling of the 6Li gas by 87Rb is increased by the presence of 40K through catalytic cooling. Because of the differing physical properties of the two components, the quantum degenerate 6Li-40K Fermi-Fermi mixture is an excellent candidate for a stable, heteronuclear system allowing the study of several so far unexplored types of quantum matter.

Collective oscillations of a Bose-Fermi mixture: Effect of unequal masses of Bose and Fermi particles

We investigate the effect of unequal masses of the Bose and Fermi particles on the collective oscillations of the degenerate boson-fermion mixtures. In particular, we consider the monopole and the quadrupole modes of the oscillations and study their characters and the frequencies by using variational-sum-rule approach. We find that for both the modes there exist critical values of the ratio of boson-fermion masses below and above which the character and frequency of the respective modes are significantly different.

Mixing-demixing transition and collapse of a vortex state in a quasi-two-dimensional boson-fermion mixture

We investigate the mixing-demixing transition and the collapse in a quasi-two-dimensional degenerate boson-fermion mixture (DBFM) with a bosonic vortex. We solve numerically a quantum-hydrodynamic model based on a new density functional which accurately takes into account the dimensional crossover. It is demonstrated that with the increase of interspecies repulsion, a mixed state of DBFM could turn into a demixed state. The system collapses for interspecies attraction above a critical value which depends on the vortex quantum number. For interspecies attraction just below this critical limit there is almost complete mixing of boson and fermion components. Such mixed and demixed states of a DBFM could be experimentally realized by varying an external magnetic field near a boson-fermion Feshbach resonance, which will result in a continuous variation of interspecies interaction.

Miscibility in a degenerate fermionic mixture induced by linear coupling

We consider a one-dimensional mean-field-hydrodynamic model of a two-component degenerate Fermi gas in an external trap, each component representing a spin state of the same atom. We demonstrate that the interconversion between them (linear coupling), imposed by a resonant electromagnetic wave, transforms the immiscible binary gas into a miscible state, if the coupling constant, $\kappa $, exceeds a critical value, $ \kappa _{\mathrm{cr}}$. The effect is predicted in a variational approximation, and confirmed by numerical solutions. Unlike the recently studied model of a binary BEC with the linear coupling, the components in the immiscible phase of the binary fermion mixture never fill two separated domains with a wall between them, but rather form anti-locked ($\pi $ -phase-shifted) density waves. Another difference from the bosonic mixture is spontaneous breaking of symmetry between the two components in terms of numbers of atoms in them, $N_{1}$ and $N_{2}$. The latter effect is characterized by the parameter $\nu \equiv (N_{1}-N_{2})/(N_{1}+N_{2}) $ (only $N_{1}+N_{2}$ is a conserved quantity), the onset of miscibility at $\kappa \geq \kappa_{\mathrm{cr}}$ meaning a transition to $\nu \equiv 0$. At $\kappa <\kappa_{\mathrm{cr}}$, $\nu $ features damped oscillations as a function of $\kappa $. We also briefly consider an asymmetric model, with a chemical-potential difference between the two components.

Tuning of Heteronuclear Interactions in a Degenerate Fermi-Bose Mixture

We demonstrate tuning of interactions between fermionic 40K and bosonic 87Rb atoms by Feshbach resonances and access the complete phase diagram of the harmonically trapped mixture from phase separation to collapse. On the attractive side of the resonance, we observe a strongly enhanced mean-field energy of the condensate due to the mutual mean-field confinement, predicted by a Thomas-Fermi model. As we increase heteronuclear interactions beyond a threshold, we observe an induced collapse of the mixture. On the repulsive side of the resonance, we observe vertical phase separation of the mixture in the presence of the gravitational force, thus entering a completely unexplored part of the phase diagram of the mixture. In addition, we identify the 515 G resonance as p wave by its characteristic doublet structure.

Bright solitons and soliton trains in a fermion-fermion mixture

We use a time-dependent dynamical mean-field-hydrodynamic model to predict and study bright solitons in a degenerate fermion-fermion mixture in a quasi-one-dimensional cigar-shaped geometry using variational and numerical methods. Due to a strong Pauli-blocking repulsion among identical spin-polarized fermions at short distances there cannot be bright solitons for repulsive interspecies fermion-fermion interactions. However, stable bright solitons can be formed for a sufficiently attractive interspecies interaction. We perform a numerical stability analysis of these solitons and also demonstrate the formation of soliton trains. These fermionic solitons can be formed and studied in laboratory with present technology.

Stability of fermionic Feshbach molecules in a Bose-Fermi mixture

In the wake of successful experiments in Fermi condensates, experimental attention is broadening to study resonant interactions in degenerate Bose-Fermi mixtures. Here we consider the properties and stability of the fermionic molecules that can be created in such a mixture near a Feshbach resonance (FR). To do this, we consider the two-body scattering matrix in the many-body environment, and assess its complex poles. The stability properties of these molecules strongly depend on their centre-of-mass motion, because they must satisfy Fermi statistics. At low centre-of-mass momenta the molecules are more stable than in the absence of the environment (due to Pauli-blocking effects), while at high centre-of-mass momenta nontrivial many body effects render them somewhat less stable.

Mixing-demixing in a trapped degenerate fermion-fermion mixture

We use a time-dependent dynamical mean-field-hydrodynamic model to study mixing-demixing in a degenerate fermion-fermion mixture (DFFM). It is demonstrated that with the increase of interspecies repulsion and/or trapping frequencies, a mixed state of DFFM could turn into a fully demixed state in both three-dimensional spherically-symmetric as well as quasi-one-dimensional configurations. Such a demixed state of a DFFM could be experimentally realized by varying an external magnetic field near a fermion-fermion Feshbach resonance, which will result in an increase of interspecies fermion-fermion repulsion, and/or by increasing the external trap frequencies.

Modulational instability, solitons and periodic waves in a model of quantum degenerate boson–fermion mixtures

In this paper, we study a system of coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations modelling a quantum degenerate mixture of bosons and fermions . We analyze the stability of plane waves, give precise conditions for the existence of solitons and write explicit solutions in the form of periodic waves. We also check that the solitons observed previously in numerical simulations of the model correspond exactly to our explicit solutions and see how plane waves destabilize to form periodic waves.

Tapered-amplified antireflection-coated laser diodes for potassium and rubidium atomic-physics experiments

We present a system of room-temperature extended-cavity grating-diode lasers for production of light in the range of 760–790nm. The extension of the tuning range towards the blue is permitted by the weak feedback in the cavity: the diodes are antireflection coated, and the grating has just 10% reflectance. The light is then amplified using semiconductor tapered amplifiers to give more than 400mW of power. The outputs are shown to be suitable for atomic-physics experiments with potassium (767nm), rubidium (780nm), or both, of particular relevance to doubly degenerate boson-fermion mixtures.

Zero Sound in a Mixture of a Single-Component Fermion Gas and a Bose-Einstein Condensate

The resonant dynamics of mediated interactions supports zero sound in a cold atom degenerate mixture of a single-component fermion gas and a Bose-Einstein condensate. We characterize the onset of instability in the phase separation of an unstable mixture and we find a rich collective mode structure for stable mixtures with one undamped mode that exhibits an avoided crossing and a Landau-damped mode that terminates.

Quasi-2D Bose-Fermi mixtures in an optical lattice

We give an overview on our current experiments with Bose-Fermi degenerate mixtures in a one dimensional (ID) optical lattice. Our system consists of a Fermi gas of 40 K atoms and a Bose-Einstein condensate of 87 Rb. The two species are simultaneously trapped in a combined magnetic and optical lattice potential. We have investigated the thermodynamical properties of the mixture in a tight lattice and observed a change in the density of states. This is a signature of a quasi two dimensional confinement of the atoms in the lattice sites. We also discuss the mechanical stability of the mixture in presence of the 1D lattice.