Lucas Levrouw | Searcharxiv

arXiv2025

Effect of Population Imbalance on Vortex Mass in Superfluid Fermi Gases

One of the fundamental parameters associated with quantized vortices in superfluids is the vortex mass, which is the inertia of a vortex. As of yet, this mass has not been observed in a superfluid. However, ultracold Fermi gases provide a promising platform in which recently much experimental progress was made, offering tunability of the interaction as well as control on the single-vortex level. Not only can the scattering length be freely tuned, allowing exploration of the BEC-BCS crossover, but also an imbalance between different pseudospin states can be introduced. We study the effect of introducing this imbalance on the vortex mass, using a method based on an effective field theory for superfluid Fermi gases. We find that it is crucial to consider the imbalance in conjunction with nonzero temperatures; at some temperatures, the vortex mass is significantly enhanced while at others, the vortex mass is diminished. This pronounced temperature dependence highlights the need for careful tuning of experimental conditions and identifies favorable parameter regimes in which the vortex mass is likely to be observed.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2025

Vortex Mass in Superfluid Fermi Gases along the BEC-BCS Crossover

Vortex mass is a key concept in the study of superfluid dynamics, referring to the inertia of vortices in a superfluid, which affects their motion and behavior. Despite being an important quantity, the vortex mass has never been observed experimentally, and remains an unresolved issue in this field. As of now, a large body of research assumes that the vortex mass is a local parameter. In contrast, we present a calculation that suggests a logarithmic dependence on the system size, agreeing with some earlier predictions in the context of Bose gases. We analyze the problem using an effective field theory that describes ultracold atomic Fermi gases over the BEC-BCS crossover at both zero and nonzero temperatures. Our study reveals a strong dependence of the vortex mass on the scattering length; in particular, the vortex mass grows rapidly when moving towards the BCS side. Furthermore, we find that the system-size dependence of the vortex mass results in values an order of magnitude larger than those predicted by other models for realistic system sizes. This implies that the vortex mass could be observable in a wider parameter range than was previously expected. This is particularly relevant considering recent advances in experimental techniques that place the observation of vortex mass in superfluid Fermi gases within reach.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗