Abstract
Using a scattering length parametrization of the crossover from a BCS state to a Bose-Einstein condensate as well as the local density approximation for the density profile, we calculate the momentum distribution of a harmonically trapped atomic Fermi gas at zero temperature. Various interaction regimes are considered, including the BCS phase, the unitarity limit, and the molecular regime. We show that the relevant parameter which characterizes the crossover is given by the dimensionless combination where N is the number of atoms, a is the scattering length, and is the oscillator length. The width of the momentum distribution is shown to depend in a crucial way on the value and sign of this parameter. Our predictions can be relevant for experiments on ultracold atomic Fermi gases near a Feshbach resonance.
- Received 22 July 2003
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.69.013607
©2004 American Physical Society