Browsing by Author "Liao, Y.A."

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    Deformation of a Trapped Fermi Gas with Unequal Spin Populations
    (American Physical Society, 2006) Partridge, G.B.; Li, Wenhui; Liao, Y.A.; Hulet, R.G.; Haque, M.; Stoof, H.T.C.; Rice Quantum Institute
    The real-space densities of a polarized strongly interacting two-component Fermi gas of Li6 atoms reveal two low-temperature regimes, both with a fully paired core. At the lowest temperatures, the unpolarized core deforms with increasing polarization. Sharp boundaries between the core and the excess unpaired atoms are consistent with a phase separation driven by a first-order phase transition. In contrast, at higher temperatures the core does not deform but remains unpolarized up to a critical polarization. The boundaries are not sharp in this case, indicating a partially polarized shell between the core and the unpaired atoms. The temperature dependence is consistent with a tricritical point in the phase diagram.
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    Metastability in Spin-Polarized Fermi Gases
    (American Physical Society, 2011) Liao, Y.A.; Revelle, M.; Paprotta, T.; Rittner, A.S.C.; Li, Wenhui; Partridge, G.B.; Hulet, R.G.; Rice Quantum Institute
    We study the role of particle transport and evaporation on the phase separation of an ultracold, spin-polarized atomic Fermi gas. We show that the previously observed deformation of the superfluid paired core is a result of evaporative depolarization of the superfluid due to a combination of enhanced evaporation at the center of the trap and the inhibition of spin transport at the normal-superfluid phase boundary. These factors contribute to a nonequilibrium jump in the chemical potentials at the phase boundary. Once formed, the deformed state is highly metastable, persisting for times of up to 2ﾠs.