English

Unitary thermodynamics from thermodynamic geometry

Statistical Mechanics 2015-06-17 v1 Quantum Gases

Abstract

Degenerate Fermi gases of atoms near a Feshbach resonance show universal thermodynamic properties, which are here calculated with the geometry of thermodynamics, and the thermodynamic curvature RR. Unitary thermodynamics is expressed as the solution to a pair of ordinary differential equations, a "superfluid" one valid for small entropy per atom zS/NkBz\equiv S/N k_B, and a "normal" one valid for high zz. These two solutions are joined at a second-order phase transition at z=zcz=z_c. Define the internal energy per atom in units of the Fermi energy as Y=Y(z)Y=Y(z). For small zz, Y(z)=y0+y1zα+y2z2α+,Y(z)=y_0+y_1 z^{\alpha}+y_2 z^{2 \alpha}+\cdots, where α\alpha is a constant exponent, y0y_0 and y1y_1 are scaling factors, and the series coefficients yiy_i (i2i\ge 2) are determined uniquely in terms of (α,y0,y1)(\alpha, y_0, y_1). For large zz the solution follows if we also specify zcz_c, with Y(z)Y(z) diverging as z5/3z^{5/3} for high zz. The four undetermined parameters (α,y0,y1,zc)(\alpha,y_0,y_1,z_c) were determined by fitting the theory to experimental data taken by a Duke University group on 6^6Li in an optical trap with a Gaussian potential. The very best fit of this theory to the data had α=2.1\alpha=2.1, zc=4.7z_c=4.7, y0=0.277y_0=0.277, and y1=0.0735y_1=0.0735, with χ2=0.95\chi^2=0.95. The corresponding Bertsch parameter is ξB=0.462(40)\xi_B=0.462(40).

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1310.2566,
  title  = {Unitary thermodynamics from thermodynamic geometry},
  author = {George Ruppeiner},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1310.2566},
  year   = {2015}
}

Comments

33 pages, 7 figures, 1 table

R2 v1 2026-06-22T01:43:36.308Z