Spin Diffusion in Trapped Clouds of Cold Atoms with Resonant Interactions

TY - JOUR

T1 - Spin Diffusion in Trapped Clouds of Cold Atoms with Resonant Interactions

AU - Bruun, Georg Morten

AU - Pethick, C. J.

PY - 2011/12/14

Y1 - 2011/12/14

N2 - We show that puzzling recent experimental results on spin diffusion in a strongly interacting atomic gas may be understood in terms of the predicted spin diffusion coefficient for a generic strongly interacting system. Three important features play a central role: (a) Fick's law for diffusion must be modified to allow for the trapping potential; (b) the diffusion coefficient is inhomogeneous, due to the density variations in the cloud; and (c) the diffusion approximation fails in the outer parts of the cloud, where the mean free path is long.

AB - We show that puzzling recent experimental results on spin diffusion in a strongly interacting atomic gas may be understood in terms of the predicted spin diffusion coefficient for a generic strongly interacting system. Three important features play a central role: (a) Fick's law for diffusion must be modified to allow for the trapping potential; (b) the diffusion coefficient is inhomogeneous, due to the density variations in the cloud; and (c) the diffusion approximation fails in the outer parts of the cloud, where the mean free path is long.

U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.255302

DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.255302

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0031-9007

VL - 107

SP - 255302

JO - Physical Review Letters

JF - Physical Review Letters

IS - 25

ER -