Dynamics of a strongly interacting Fermi gas: the radial quadrupole mode

Abstract

We report on measurements of an elementary surface mode in an ultracold, strongly interacting Fermi gas of 6Li atoms. The radial quadrupole mode allows us to probe hydrodynamic behavior in the BEC-BCS crossover without being influenced by changes in the equation of state. We examine frequency and damping of this mode, along with its expansion dynamics. In the unitarity limit and on the BEC side of the resonance, the observed frequencies agree with standard hydrodynamic theory. However, on the BCS side of the crossover, a striking down shift of the oscillation frequency is observed in the hydrodynamic regime as a precursor to an abrupt transition to collisionless behavior; this indicates coupling of the oscillation to fermionic pairs.