Probing phase separation in Bose-Fermi mixtures by the critical superfluid velocity

We investigate the effect exerted by spin-polarized fermions on the interaction between superfluid bosons for a Bose-Fermi mixture residing on an optical lattice, with particular emphasis on the possibility of an induced phase separation. Using a set of microscopic parameters relevant to a K-40-Rb-87 mixture, we show how the phase-separation criterion may be directly probed by means of the critical superfluid velocity of the bosonic condensate. We report quantitative results for the magnitude of the superfluid velocity and its dependence on the trap depth, the boson-fermion interaction, and the fermionic filling fraction. All of these parameters can be controlled experimentally in a well-defined manner. We propose an experimental setup for probing the critical superfluid velocity.