Destroying superfluidity by rotating a Fermi gas at unitarity.
We study the effect of the rotation on a harmonically trapped Fermi gas at zero temperature under the assumption that vortices are not formed. We show that at unitarity the rotation produces a phase separation between a nonrotating superfluid (S) core and a rigidly rotating normal (N) gas. The interface between the two phases is characterized by a density discontinuity n(N)/n(S)=0.85, independent of the angular velocity. The depletion of the superfluid and the angular momentum of the rotating configuration are calculated as a function of the angular velocity. The conditions of stability are also discussed and the critical angular velocity for the onset of a spontaneous quadrupole deformation of the interface is evaluated.
Bausmerth
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Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Trento and CNR-INFM BEC Center, I-38050 Povo, Trento, Italy.
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