Scale Invariance of a Spherical Unitary Fermi Gas.

A unitary Fermi gas in an isotropic harmonic trap is predicted to show scale and conformal symmetry that have important consequences in its thermodynamic and dynamical properties. By experimentally realizing a unitary Fermi gas in an isotropic harmonic trap, we demonstrate its universal expansion dynamics along each direction and at different temperatures. We show that as a consequence of SO(2,1) symmetry, the measured release energy is equal to that of the trapping energy. We further observe the breathing mode with an oscillation frequency twice the trapping frequency and a small damping rate, providing the evidence of SO(2,1) symmetry. In addition, away from resonance when scale invariance is broken, we determine the effective exponent γ that relates the chemical potential and average density along the BEC-BCS crossover, which qualitatively agrees with the mean field predictions. This Letter opens the possibility of studying nonequilibrium dynamics in a conformal invariant system in the future.

Generating Giant Vortex in a Fermi Superfluid via Spin-Orbital-Angular-Momentum Coupling.

Spin-orbital-angular-momentum (SOAM) coupling has been realized in recent experiments of Bose-Einstein condensates [Chen et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 113204 (2018)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.121.113204 and Zhang et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 110402 (2019)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.122.110402], where the orbital angular momentum imprinted upon bosons leads to quantized vortices. For fermions, such an exotic synthetic gauge field can provide fertile ground for fascinating pairing schemes and rich superfluid phases, which are yet to be explored. Here we demonstrate how SOAM coupling stabilizes vortices in Fermi superfluids through a unique mechanism that can be viewed as the angular analog to that of the spin-orbit-coupling-induced Fulde-Ferrell state under a Fermi surface deformation. Remarkably, the vortex size is comparable with the beam waist of Raman lasers generating the SOAM coupling, which is typically much larger than previously observed vortices in Fermi superfluids. With tunable size and core structure, these giant vortex states provide unprecedented experimental access to topological defects in Fermi superfluids.

Ground-State Phase Diagram of a Spin-Orbital-Angular-Momentum Coupled Bose-Einstein Condensate.

By inducing a Raman transition using a pair of Gaussian and Laguerre-Gaussian laser beams, we realize a ^{87}Rb condensate whose orbital angular momentum (OAM) and its internal spin states are coupled. By varying the detuning and the coupling strength of the Raman transition, we experimentally map out the ground-state phase diagram of the system for the first time. The transitions between different phases feature a discontinuous jump of the OAM and the spin polarization, and hence are of first order. We demonstrate the hysteresis loop associated with such first-order phase transitions. The role of interatomic interaction is also elucidated. Our work paves the way to explore exotic quantum phases in the spin-orbital-angular-momentum coupled quantum gases.

Contact Theory for Spin-Orbit-Coupled Fermi Gases.

We develop the contact theory for spin-orbit-coupled Fermi gases. By using a perturbation method, we derive analytically the universal two-body behavior at short distance, which does not depend on the short-range details of interatomic potentials. We find that two new scattering parameters need to be introduced because of spin-orbit coupling, besides the traditional s- and p-wave scattering length (volume) and effective ranges. This is a general and unique feature for spin-orbit-coupled systems. Consequently, two new adiabatic energy relations with respect to the new scattering parameters are obtained, in which a new contact is involved because of spin-orbit coupling. In addition, we derive the asymptotic behavior of the large-momentum distribution, and find that the subleading tail is corrected by the new contact. This work paves the way for exploring the profound properties of spin-orbit-coupled many-body systems, according to two-body solutions.

Manipulation of p-wave scattering of cold atoms in low dimensions using the magnetic field vector.

It is well known that the magnetic Feshbach resonances of cold atoms are sensitive to the magnitude of the external magnetic field. Much less attention has been paid to the direction of such a field. In this work we calculate the scattering properties of spin polarized fermionic atoms in reduced dimensions, near a p-wave Feshbach resonance. Because of the spatial anisotropy of the p-wave interaction, the scattering has a nontrivial dependence on both the magnitude and the direction of the magnetic field. In addition, we identify an inelastic scattering process which is impossible in the isotropic-interaction model; the rate of this process depends considerably on the direction of the magnetic field. Significantly, an Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entangled pair of identical fermions may be produced during this inelastic collision. This work opens a new method to manipulate resonant cold atomic interactions.