We theoretically consider the properties of a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate with a vortex. Our theory includes the influence of the leading order quantum fluctuation corrections which allows the condensate to stabilize into a droplet state in the regime of dominant dipole interactions. We develop numerical techniques to accurately and efficiently calculate the stationary vortex states and the quasi-particle excitations. These methods are carefully benchmarked where possible. We make a brief study of self-bound vortex droplets, considering their basic properties, and presenting a phase diagram for where they exist. We also compare our calculations to results which appeared from another group during our research. We show that their results suffer from serious numerical issues and are unreliable. We focus on studying the properties of a vortex line in an elongated dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate confined by a prolate trap. Increasing the strength of the dipole-dipole interactions relative to the short ranged contact interactions we find that the system crosses over to a self-bound vortex droplet stabilized from collapse by quantum fluctuations. We calculate the quasiparticle excitation spectrum of the vortex state, which is important in characterizing the vortex response, and assessing its stability. When the DDIs are sufficiently strong we find that the vortex is dynamically unstable to quadrupolar modes.
Bose-Einstein condensation is a quantum statistical phase transition which was theoretically predicted almost a hundred years ago. After years of seminal research, physicists realized the first almost ideal Bose-Einstein condensates in ultracold dilute atomic gases in 1995. Since then, the theoretical and experimental methods concerning such systems have been developing rapidly, and many fascinating phenomena have been found in these novel quantum systems.\n\nBose-Einstein condensation occurs in a system consisting of massive bosons when a single quantum state becomes macroscopically occupied as the temperature is lowered below the transition temperature. In general, condensates consisting of repulsively interacting bosons exhibit superfluidity: Particle currents can flow in the system without dissipation and viscosity. Moreover, the velocity fields of condensates have to be irrotational, which severely restricts the rotational characteristics of these systems. Apart from the center of mass motion, the system may carry angular momentum in the form of elementary excitations or so-called quantized vortices.\n\nThis Thesis is a theoretical study of subjects related to stability and dynamics of quantized vortices in dilute atomic Bose-Einstein condensates. The precession and instability of off-centered vortices in trapped condensates is investigated both in the zero-temperature limit and at finite temperatures. Dynamical stability of multiply quantized vortices and vortex clusters is studied in axisymmetric trap geometries. Splitting of energetically and dynamically unstable multiply quantized vortices into singly quantized vortices is also studied. Finally, as a separate subject, tunneling of a condensate through a potential barrier is investigated. Majority of this work relies on numerical methods for solving the Gross-Pitaevskii and Bogoliubov equations, which are of central importance in the study of dilute atomic Bose-Einstein condensates.
We investigate the properties of quantized vortices in a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensed gas by means of a generalized Gross-Pitaevskii equation. The size of the vortex core hugely increases by increasing the weight of the dipolar interaction, approaching the transition to the supersolid phase. The critical angular velocity for the existence of an energetically stable vortex decreases in the supersolid, due to the reduced value of the density in the interdroplet region. The angular momentum per particle associated with the vortex line is shown to be smaller than $\ensuremath{\hbar}$, reflecting the reduction of the global superfluidity. The real-time vortex nucleation in a rotating trap is shown to be triggered, as for a standard condensate, by the softening of the quadrupole mode. For large angular velocities, when the distance between vortices becomes comparable to the interdroplet distance, the vortices are arranged into a honeycomb structure, which coexists with the triangular geometry of the supersolid lattice and persists during the free expansion of the atomic cloud.
A method for the creation of three-dimensional (3D) solitary topological modes, corresponding to vortical droplets of a two-component dilute superfluid, is presented. We use the recently introduced system of nonlinearly coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations, which include contact attraction between the components, and quartic repulsion stemming from the Lee-Huang-Yang correction to the mean-field energy. Self-trapped vortex tori, carrying the topological charges
m1=m2=1 or
m1=m2=2 in their components, are constructed by means of numerical and approximate analytical methods. The analysis reveals stability regions for the vortex droplets (in broad and relatively narrow parameter regions for
m1,2=1 and
m1,2=2, respectively). The results provide a scenario for the creation of stable 3D self-trapped states with the double vorticity (
m1,2=2). The stable modes are shaped as flat-top ones, with the space between the inner hole, induced by the vorticity, and the outer boundary filled by a nearly constant density. On the other hand, all modes with hidden vorticity, i.e., topological charges of the two components ${m}_{1}=\ensuremath{-}{m}_{2}=1$, are unstable. The stability of the droplets with
m1,2=1 against splitting (which is the main scenario of possible instability) is explained by estimating analytically the energy of the split and unsplit states. The predicted results may be implemented, exploiting dilute quantum droplets in mixtures of Bose-Einstein condensates.
We study the stability of singly and doubly quantized vortex states of harmonically trapped dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) by calculating the low-lying excitations of these condensates. We map the dynamical stability of these vortices as functions of the dipole-dipole interaction strength and trap geometry by finding where their excitations have purely real energy eigenvalues. In contrast to BECs with purely contact interactions, we find that dipolar BECs in singly quantized vortex states go unstable to modes with an increasing number of angular and radial nodes for more oblate trap aspect ratios, corresponding to local collapse that occurs on a characteristic length scale. Additionally, we find that dipolar BECs in doubly quantized vortex states are unstable to decay into a different topological state (with two singly quantized vortices) for all interaction strengths when the trap geometry is sufficiently prolate to make the dipoles attractive, and in windows of interaction strength when the trap geometry is sufficiently oblate to make the dipoles repulsive.
We have theoretically investigated the structure of spinning self-bound droplets made of a $^{41}\mathrm{K}\text{\ensuremath{-}}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ Bose mixture by solving the Gross-Pitaevskii equation including beyond-mean-field correction in the Lee-Huang-Yang form. The structure and energetics of vortex formation in the self-bound mixture have been elucidated, showing that the formation of linear vortices in the heavier species is energetically favored over other configurations. A fake (partially filled) core develops as a consequence in the other species, resulting in a hole which might be imaged in experiments. We computed the minimal size of $^{41}\mathrm{K}\ensuremath{-}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ droplets which can host stable vortex lines in their interior, which is important information for experiments aimed at the observation of vortices in such systems. The different role of quantized vortices and capillary waves, which are the two ways angular momentum can be stored in a swirling superfluid, is addressed in detail by computing the relation between angular momentum and rotational frequency. The results show intriguing similarities with the case of a prototypical superfluid, i.e.,
4He droplets when set into rotation. A two-branches curve in the stability diagram, qualitatively similar to the one expected for classical (incompressible and viscous) rotating liquid droplets, is obtained when vortices are present in the droplets, while prolate (i.e., nonaxisymmetric) shapes are only permitted in vortex-free droplets.