In the field of physics, Fermi liquid theory provides a unique perspective to understand the behavior of fermions in the case of so-called "strong interactions". This theory was proposed by Soviet physicist Lev Davidovich Landau in 1956 and further developed by Alexei Abrikosov and Isaac Khalatnikov. It has become an indispensable theoretical tool in modern physics.
The core idea of Fermi liquid theory is that even in the case of strong interaction, we can observe behavior similar to the ideal Fermi gas system, which makes this theory important to explain the conductive properties of metallic materials. . Notably, similar behavior can also be found in cryogenic systems such as liquid helium-3, demonstrating its broad range of applications.
Fermi liquid theory applies to the conductive electronic states of most metals, especially their behavior at low temperatures.
Fermi gas refers to a group of non-interacting fermions, while Fermi liquid refers to a group of interacting fermions. According to Landau's theory, if we slowly change a system through interactions, the ground state of the system will change from a Fermi gas to a Fermi liquid in a metastable manner. During this process, the spin, charge, and momentum of the particles remain unchanged, but their dynamic properties, such as mass and magnetic moment, may be renormalized to new values.
The excitations of Fermi liquids are long, ductile excitations called "quasiparticles," which make their physical properties crucial in many ways.
Understanding the differences between Fermi gases and Fermi liquids helps us understand why certain substances display unusual electrical and thermal properties under strong interactions. For example, in Fermi gas, the distribution of energy states is relatively simple, while in Fermi liquid, many physical quantities, such as specific heat, compressibility, and spin susceptibility, have undergone significant changes, and their behavior patterns Varies with temperature changes.
It is worth noting that the "effective mass" of quasiparticles in these systems is often much greater than the mass of free electrons, which is also one of the important clues to understanding heavy Fermi liquids.
Although Fermi liquid theory is able to explain the properties of many metallic materials, in some cases, such as in strongly correlated systems, we also observe non-Fermi liquid behavior. In these systems, the quasiparticle concept can break down, leading to a number of difficult-to-explain physical phenomena, such as resistance increasing linearly with temperature.
With our in-depth study of the behavior of Fermi liquids and non-Fermi liquids, more and more phenomena are found to be closely related to the properties of high-temperature superconductors, which opens up new horizons for understanding quantum phase transitions and related material properties. . For example, in some superconductors, these materials may display non-Fermi behavior as they approach the superconducting phase transition, with voltages and currents no longer following traditional Fermi liquid predictions.
These findings have sparked further exploration of non-Fermi liquids, as physicists try to understand their microscopic origins, such as exotic metals and the behavior of matter in heavy fermion systems. This not only provides a deeper understanding of liquid matter, but also provides a new perspective on quantum physics and condensed matter physics.
Further research may reveal many microscopic processes that are not yet understood, and the role these processes play in macroscopic physical behavior is worthy of further exploration.
In future research, with the advancement of science and technology, will we be able to break the boundaries of existing theories and discover more surprising physical phenomena?