Transverse Demagnetization Dynamics of a Unitary Fermi Gas

Abstract

Untwisting the Spin Spiral Ultracold Fermi gases in the so-called unitary regime—where the diverging interactions between atoms make their thermodynamics universal—are an excellent test bed for an array of strongly interacting matter systems. The transport characteristics in this regime are particularly intriguing, and a discrepancy between two- and three-dimensional transport coefficients has been observed. Bardon et al. (p. 722 ) studied the demagnetization dynamics of a three-dimensional Fermi gas. The gas was initially polarized along a single direction and was noninteracting. An applied magnetic field gradient then caused a spin spiral to form; as the gas relaxed from this state, the authors extracted the diffusion coefficient and observed the buildup of interactions between the atoms.