Dynamical vanishing of the order parameter in a fermionic condensate

Abstract

We analyze the dynamics of a condensate of ultra-cold atomic fermions following an abrupt change of the pairing strength. At long times, the system goes to a non-stationary steady state, which we determine exactly. The superfluid order parameter asymptotes to a constant value. We show that the order parameter vanishes when the pairing strength is decreased below a certain critical value. In this case, the steady state of the system combines properties of normal and superfluid states - the gap and the condensate fraction vanish, while the superfluid density is nonzero.