Spin-dipole mode in a trapped Fermi gas near unitarity

We theoretically investigate the spin-dipole oscillation of a strongly interacting Fermi gas confined by a harmonic trapping potential. By using a diagrammatic strong-coupling theory combined with a local density approximation and a sum rule approach, we study the temperature dependence of the spin-dipole frequency near unitarity. The connection of the spin-dipole frequency with the spin susceptibility and the pairing correlations is exploited. While the spin-dipole frequency exactly coincides with the trap frequency in a noninteracting Fermi gas, it is shown to be strongly enhanced in the superfluid state, because of the suppression of the spin degree of freedom due to the spin-singlet Cooper-pair formation. In strongly interacting Fermi gases, such enhancement occurs even above the superfluid phase transition temperature, due to the strong pairing correlations.