Thermal liquid-gas phase transition in a quasi-one-dimensional dipolar Fermi gas

Abstract

We theoretically investigate the thermodynamic properties of a quasi-one-dimensional single-component dipolar Fermi gas at finite temperatures. A self-bound fermionic droplet can be achieved by exchange correlations with long-range dipole-dipole interactions under quasi-one-dimensional confinement, where the interaction can be tuned by tilting the dipoles along the system coordinate. Using the Hartree-Fock approximation, we show how the liquid-gas phase transition occurs in this system and elucidate the finite-temperature phase structure consisting of a gas phase, liquid phase, gas-liquid coexistence phase, and spinodal phase. We also discuss its similarity to the liquid-gas phase transition in nuclear matter through a comparison with phenomenological models. By examining the experimental conditions for realizing self-bound fermionic droplets, we find that microwave-shielded fermionic polar molecules are promising candidates. Our results will be useful for an interdisciplinary understanding of self-bound fermionic matter as well as an analog quantum simulation of nuclear systems.