Year: 1998
Type: article
Abstract: Four-particle correlations in fermion systems at finite temperatures are investigated with special attention to the formation of a condensate. Instead of the instability of the normal state with respect to the onset of pairing described by the Gorkov equation, a new equation is obtained which describes the onset of ``quartetting.'' Applying to symmetric nuclear matter, below a critical density, the four-particle condensation ( $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-like quartetting) is found to be favored over deuteron condensation (triplet pairing). This pairing-quartetting competition is expected to be a general feature of interacting fermion systems, such as the exciton-biexciton system in excited semiconductors. Possible experimental consequences are pointed out.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Authors: G. Röpke, A. Schnell, P. Schuck, P. Nozières
Institutions: University of Rostock, Institut Laue-Langevin
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2071598994