Collective modes of a two-dimensional spin-1/2 Fermi gas in a harmonic trap

Abstract

We derive analytical expressions for the frequency and damping of the lowest collective modes of a two-dimensional Fermi gas using kinetic theory. For strong coupling, we furthermore show that pairing correlations overcompensate the effects of Pauli blocking on the collision rate for a large range of temperatures, resulting in a rate which is larger than that of a classical gas. Our results agree well with experimental data, and they recover the observed cross-over from collisionless to hydrodynamic behaviour with increasing coupling for the quadruple mode. Finally, we show that a trap anisotropy within the experimental bounds results in a damping of the breathing mode which is comparable to what is observed, even for a scale invariant system.