Detection of the BCS transition of a trapped Fermi Gas

TL;DR

This paper theoretically analyzes a trapped Fermi gas to identify observable signatures of the BCS superfluid transition, focusing on response to trap modulation and heat capacity as experimental indicators.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework that accounts for shell effects and proposes specific measurable signatures of the superfluid transition in trapped Fermi gases.

Findings

Response to trap modulation indicates superfluid presence.

Heat capacity shows distinct features at the transition.

Shell structure influences observable properties.

Abstract

We investigate theoretically the properties of a trapped gas of fermionic atoms in both the normal and the superfluid phases. Our analysis, which accounts for the shell structure of the normal phase spectrum, identifies two observables which are sensitive to the presence of the superfluid: the response of the gas to a modulation of the trapping frequency, and the heat capacity. Our results are discussed in the context of experiments on trapped Fermi gases.