Efimov Trimers in a Harmonic Potential

TL;DR

This paper investigates Efimov trimers within a harmonic potential using a hyperspherical model, revealing how the interplay of scattering length and effective range influences Efimov physics and inelastic properties.

Contribution

It introduces a reduced hyperspherical model that generalizes Efimov physics in a harmonic trap and explores the role of effective range as a substitute for the three-body parameter.

Findings

Efimov states can be observed by tuning scattering length.

Effective range can replace the three-body parameter in certain regimes.

Numerical relationship between effective range and three-body parameter differs from previous models.

Abstract

We study the Efimov effect in a harmonic oscillator in the hyperspherical formulation, and show how a reduced model allows for a description that is a generalization of the Efimov effect in free space and leads to results that are easily interpreted. Efimov physics may be observed by varying the value of the scattering length, since in the regime where the trimers have a mixed harmonic oscillator and Efimov character, the inelastic properties of these states are still manageable. The model also allows for the study of non-universal Efimov trimers by including the effective range scattering parameter. While we find that in a certain regime the effective range parameter can take over the role of the three-body parameter, interestingly, we obtain a numerical relationship between these two parameters different from what was found in other models.