Topics in Multi-Component Fermi Systems

Abstract

Recently there has been considerable interest in multi-component Fermi systems. Some examples are spin-polarized ³He, and ³He–⁴He mixtures, where the asymmetric spin populations form two-component Fermi liquids, isospin asymmetric nuclear matter, the coupled electron, proton, neutron and neutrino Fermi liquids in the astrophysical context of stellar collapse and cores of neutron stars, liquid metallic hydrogen where the interpenetrating electrons and protons form the two-component fluid, and electron-hole droplets in semiconductors. Recent experimental studies,^1,2 in particular viscosity measurements¹ in spin-polarized ³He near the melting curve, have stimulated new interest. Theoretical studies in the multi-component systems include the calculations of transport properties in various systems, but under varying degrees of approximations, by Flowers and Itoh,³ Meyerovich,⁴ Mullin and Miyake,⁵ and Oliva and Ashcroft.⁶ The interactions in the two-component system, especially in the context of ³He, have been studied by Quader,⁷ (and the references therein), Bedell and Quader,⁸ Bedell and Sanchez-Castro,⁹ and Hess, Pines and Quader.¹⁰