Fisher zeros of a unitary Bose gas

Abstract

For real inverse temperature β, the canonical partition function is always positive, being a sum of positive terms. There are zeros, however, on the complex β plane that are called Fisher zeros. In the thermodynamic limit, the Fisher zeros coalesce into continuous curves. In case there is a phase transition, the zeros tend to pinch the real-β axis. For an ideal trapped Bose gas in an isotropic three-dimensional harmonic oscillator, this tendency is clearly seen, signalling Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC). The calculation can be formulated exactly in terms of the virial expansion with temperature-dependent virial coefficients. When the second virial coefficient of a strongly interacting attractive unitary gas is included in the calculation, BEC seems to survive, with the condensation temperature shifted to a lower value for the unitary gas. This shift is consistent with a direct calculation of the heat capacity from the canonical partition function of the ideal and the unitary gas.