Efimov Physics and the Three-Body Parameter within a Two-Channel Framework

Abstract

We calculate shallow three-body bound states in the universal regime, defined by Efimov, with inclusion of both scattering length and effective range parameters. The universal spectrum is recovered for the least bound states, whereas for larger binding energies we find corrections to the universal scaling laws. We recover known results for broad Feshbach resonances with small effective range, whereas in the case of narrow resonances we find a distinct non-monotonic behavior of the threshold at which the lowest Efimov trimer merges with the three-body continuum. To address the issue of the physical origin of the three-body parameter we provide a physically clear model for the relation between three-body physics and typical two-body atom-atom interactions. Our results demonstrate that experimental information from narrow Feshbach resonances and/or mixed systems are of vital importance to pin down the relation of two- and three-body physics in atomic systems.

6 pages, 6 figures, 1 appendix, accepted version

References in corpus (2)

• Observation of an Efimov spectrum in an atomic system
• Observation of universality in ultracold 7Li three-body recombination

Cited by in corpus (7)

• Comparing and contrasting nuclei and cold atomic gases
• Universal three-body parameter in heteronuclear atomic systems
• Universal three-body parameter in ultracold 4He*
• Efimov States of Heavy Impurities in a Bose-Einstein Condensate
• Mass-imbalanced Three-Body Systems in Two Dimensions
• Finite Range Effects in Energies and Recombination Rates of Three Identical Bosons
• Effective range from tetramer dissociation data for cesium atoms