Matter-wave interference in s-wave and p-wave Fermi condensates

Abstract

We discuss the time evolution and matter-wave interference of Fermi condensates on the BEC side of Feshbach resonances for s and p-wave superfluids, upon release from harmonic traps. In swave systems, where the order parameter is a complex scalar, we find that the interference patterns depend on the relative phase of the order parameters of the condensates. In p-wave systems involving the mixture of two-hyperfine states, we show that the interference pattern exhibits a polarization effect depending on the relative orientation of the two vector order parameters. Lastly, we also point out that p-wave Fermi condensates exhibit an anisotropic expansion, reflecting the spatial anisotropy of the underlying interaction between fermions and the orbital nature of the vector order parameter. Potential applications of our results include systems of ultra-cold atoms that exhibit p-wave Feshbach resonances such as 6Li or 40K.