One particle in a box: the simplest model for a Fermigas in the unitary limit

TL;DR

This paper models a quantum particle in a spherical box with a central scatterer to simulate a degenerate atomic Fermi gas near a Feshbach resonance, revealing two macroscopic states and explaining experimental features.

Contribution

It introduces a simplified quantum model capturing key features of Fermi gases near unitarity, including state bifurcation and experimental observations.

Findings

Existence of two macroscopic states as a function of magnetic field

Qualitative agreement with experimental features near resonance

Model predicts behavior in the unitary limit

Abstract

We consider a single quantum particle in a spherical box interacting with a fixed scatterer at the center, to construct a model of a degenerate atomic Fermi gas close to a Feshbach resonance. One of the key predictions of the model is the existence of two branches for the macroscopic state of the gas, as a function of the magnetic field controlling the value of the scattering length.This model is able to draw a qualitative picture of all the different features recently observed in a degenerate atomic Fermi gas close to the resonance, even in the unitary limit.