We consider nonzero temperature properties of the polarized two-component Fermi gas. We point out that stable polarized paired states which are more stable than their phase-separated counterparts with unpolarized superfluid region can exist below the critical temperature. We also solve the system behavior in a trap using the local density approximation and find gradually increasing polarization in the center of the system as the temperature is increased. However, in the strongly interacting region the central polarization increases most rapidly close to the mean-field critical temperature, which is known to be substantially higher than the critical temperature for superfluidity. This indicates that most of the phase separation occurs in the fluctuation region prior to superfluidity and that the polarization in the actual superfluid is modest.

• Received 12 May 2006

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.74.013602