Three-dimensional Bose-Fermi droplets at nonzero temperatures

Abstract

Using numerical methods, we study the formation of self-bound quantum Bose-Fermi droplets at nonzero temperatures. We describe an attractive atomic Bose-Fermi mixture using quantum hydrodynamics enriched by beyond-mean-field corrections and thermal fluctuations, together with a simplified self-consistent Hartree-Fock model. With these models, we determine that low-temperature droplets with finite lifetimes can exist in free space when the attraction between bosons and fermions is sufficiently strong. Additionally, Bose-Fermi droplets at nonzero temperatures can exist in a box potential in equilibrium with bosonic and fermionic vapor. We discuss the properties of Bose-Fermi droplets at nonzero temperatures in terms of the initial condensate fraction, total atom number, and interspecies attraction strength.