Universal sound diffusion in a strongly interacting Fermi gas

Abstract

A gas of strongly interacting fermionic atoms can serve as a model for systems with densities and energies spanning many orders of magnitude. This universality of physics comes about thanks to a property known as scale invariance. Patel et al. exploited this concept to draw universal conclusions about the attenuation of sound in such systems by studying a homogeneous gas of lithium-6 atoms at very low temperatures (see the Perspective by Schaefer). They found that below the superfluid transition, the sound diffusivity behaved not unlike what has been observed in helium-4, a fluid of strongly interacting bosons.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Dec 04, 2020
Source ID
10.1126/science.aaz5756

Entities

People

  • Biswaroop Mukherjee
  • Julian Struck
  • Martin W. Zwierlein
  • Parth B Patel
  • Richard J Fletcher
  • Zhenjie Yan

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • David and Lucile Packard Foundation
  • Labex (Sweden)
  • MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • National Science Foundation
  • Office of Naval Research
  • École Normale Supérieure

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Materials Science and Engineering.
  • Military History
  • Quantum spin resonance or Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy.