Efimov physics: a review. (28th March 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Naidon, Pascal; Endo, Shimpei
• Is Part Of: Reports on progress in physics. Volume 80:Number 5(2017:May)
• Publication Date: 2017-03-28
• Subjects: Efimov physics -- quantum few-body physics -- quantum many-body physics; Physics -- Periodicals; 530.05
• DOI: 10.1088/1361-6633/aa50e8
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0034-4885

Abstract

Abstract: This article reviews theoretical and experimental advances in Efimov physics, an array of quantum few-body and many-body phenomena arising for particles interacting via short-range resonant interactions, that is based on the appearance of a scale-invariant three-body attraction theoretically discovered by Vitaly Efimov in 1970. This three-body effect was originally proposed to explain the binding of nuclei such as the triton and the Hoyle state of carbon-12, and later considered as a simple explanation for the existence of some halo nuclei. It was subsequently evidenced in trapped ultra-cold atomic clouds and in diffracted molecular beams of gaseous helium. These experiments revealed that the previously undetermined three-body parameter introduced in the Efimov theory to stabilise the three-body attraction typically scales with the range of atomic interactions. The few- and many-body consequences of the Efimov attraction have been since investigated theoretically, and are expected to be observed in a broader spectrum of physical systems.