Abstract
We study the absorption line shape of a strongly degenerate Fermi gas confined in a harmonic trap. The absorption spectrum is calculated using both the exact summation and also the Thomas-Fermi approximation. In the latter case, relatively simple analytical expressions are obtained for the absorption line shape for a large number of trapped atoms. At zero temperature, the approximated line shape is characterized by a dependence, which agrees well with the exact numerical calculations. At nonzero temperature, the spectrum becomes broader, although remains non-Gaussian as long as the fermion gas is degenerate. The changes in the trap frequency for an electronically excited atom can introduce an additional line broadening.
- Received 9 November 2000
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.63.061602
©2001 American Physical Society