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Phys. Rev. A 77, 053617 (2008) [9 pages]

Superfluidity at the BEC-BCS crossover in two-dimensional Fermi gases with population and mass imbalance

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G. J. Conduit*
Theory of Condensed Matter Group, Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, United Kingdom

P. H. Conlon
Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, 1 Keble Road, Oxford, OX1 3NP, United Kingdom

B. D. Simons
Theory of Condensed Matter Group, Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, United Kingdom

Received 13 February 2008; published 29 May 2008

We explore the zero-temperature phase behavior of a two-dimensional two-component atomic Fermi gas with population and mass imbalance in the regime of the BEC-BCS crossover. Working in the mean-field approximation, we show that the normal and homogeneous balanced superfluid phases are separated by an inhomogeneous superfluid phase of Fulde-Ferrel-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) type. We obtain an analytical expression for the line of continuous transitions separating the normal and inhomogeneous FFLO phases. We further show that the transition from the FFLO phase to the homogeneous balanced superfluid is discontinuous leading to phase separation. If the species have different masses, the superfluid phase is favored when the lighter species is in excess. We explore the implications of these findings for the properties of the two-component Fermi gas in the atomic trap geometry. Finally, we compare and contrast our findings with the predicted phase behavior of the electron-hole bilayer system.

© 2008 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevA.77.053617
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevA.77.053617
PACS:
03.75.Ss, 03.75.Hh, 05.30.Fk

*gjc29@cam.ac.uk