© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

Terms Privacy Legal Notice

arXiv:1802.09347 · Condensed Matter

Surface Excitations, Shape Deformation, and the Long-Time Behavior in a Stirred Bose–Einstein Condensate

Qing-Li Zhu, Jin An

Published Nov 25, 2018• 2 citations

Abstract

The surface excitations, shape deformation, and the formation of persistent current for a Gaussian obstacle potential rotating in a highly oblate Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) are investigated. A vortex dipole can be produced and trapped in the center of the stirrer even for the slow motion of the stirring beam. When the angular velocity of the obstacle is above some critical value, the condensate shape can be deformed remarkably at the corresponding rotation frequency followed by surface wave excitations. After a long enough time, a small number of vortices are found to be either trapped in the condensate or pinned by the obstacle, and a vortex dipole or several vortices can be trapped at the beam center, which provides another way to manipulate the vortex.

DOI: 10.3390/condmat3040041

Related papers

Vortex excitation in a stirred toroidal Bose-Einstein condensate

A. I. Yakimenko, Karyna Isaieva, S. I. Vilchinskiĭ +1 more

Motivated by a recent experiment [K. C. Wright et al., Phys. Rev. A 88, 063633 (2013)], we investigate the microscopic mechanism for excitation of vortices and formation of a persistent current in an annular BEC stirred by a narrow blue-detuned optical beam. In the framework of a two-dimensional mean-field model, we study the dissipative dynamics of the condensate with parameters that reflect realistic experimental conditions. Vortex-antivortex pairs appear near the center of the stirrer in the bulk of the condensate for slow motion of the stirring beam. When the barrier angular velocity is above some critical value, an outer edge surface mode develops and breaks into the vortices entering the condensate annulus. We determine the conditions for creation of vortex excitations in the stirred toroidal condensate and compare our results with experimental observations.

arXiv:1408.3293•Physical Review A•Feb 9, 2015•25 citations

Vortex Nucleation in a Stirred Bose-Einstein Condensate

Chandra Raman, J. R. Abo-Shaeer, J. M. M. J. Vogels +2 more

We studied the nucleation of vortices in a Bose-Einstein condensate stirred by a laser beam. The vortex cores were observed using time-of-flight absorption imaging. Depending on the stirrer size, either discrete resonances or a broad response was visible as the stir frequency was varied. Stirring beams small compared to the condensate size generated vortices below the critical rotation frequency for the nucleation of surface modes, suggesting a local mechanism of generation. In addition, we observed the centrifugal distortion of the condensate due to the rotating vortex lattice and found evidence for bent vortices.

arXiv:cond-mat/0106235•Physical Review Letters•Nov 1, 2001•389 citations

Vortex nucleation in Bose-Einstein condensates in time-dependent traps

Emil Lundh, J.-P. Martikainen, Kalle‐Antti Suominen

Vortex nucleation in a Bose-Einstein condensate subject to a stirring potential is studied numerically using the zero-temperature, two-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation. In the case of a rotating, slightly anisotropic harmonic potential, the numerical results reproduce experimental findings, thereby showing that finite temperatures are not necessary for vortex excitation below the quadrupole frequency. In the case of a condensate subject to stirring by a narrow rotating potential, the process of vortex excitation is described by a classical model that treats the multitude of vortices created by the stirrer as a continuously distributed vorticity at the center of the cloud, but retains a potential flow pattern at large distances from the center.

arXiv:cond-mat/0211401•Physical Review A•Jun 18, 2003•36 citations

Quantized vortices in a gaseous Bose-Einstein condensate

Kirk W. Madison

Using a focused laser beam we stir a Bose-Einstein condensate confined in a magnetic trap. When the stirring frequency reaches a critical value, we observe the formation of a vortex at the center of the condensate. Using the quadrupolar excitation of the condensate we measure the angular momentum of the condensate with the vortex, and we find that it is ∼ℏ per particle, as expected. For larger stirring frequencies, regular arrays of vortices are observed.

AIP conference proceedings•Jan 1, 2001•0 citations

Vortex Formation in a Stirred Bose-Einstein Condensate

Kirk W. Madison, Frédéric Chevy, Wendel Wohlleben +1 more

Using a focused laser beam we stir a Bose-Einstein condensate of 87Rb confined in a magnetic trap and observe the formation of a vortex for a stirring frequency exceeding a critical value. At larger rotation frequencies we produce states of the condensate for which up to four vortices are simultaneously present. We have also measured the lifetime of the single vortex state after turning off the stirring laser beam.

arXiv:cond-mat/9912015•Physical Review Letters•Jan 31, 2000•1,875 citations

Critical rotation of an anharmonically trapped Bose–Einstein condensate

Juan Ma, Zhi Li, Xue Ju-Kui

We consider rotational motion of an interacting atomic Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) with both two- and three-body interactions in a quadratic-plus-quartic and harmonic-plus-Gaussian trap. By using the variational method, the influence of the three-body interaction and the anharmonicity of the trap on the lowest energy surface mode excitation and the spontaneous shape deformation (responsible for the vortex formation) in a rotating BEC is discussed in detail. It is found that the repulsive three-body interaction helps the formation of the vortex and reduces the lowest energy surface mode frequency and the critical rotational frequency of the system. Moreover, the critical rotational frequency for the vortex formation in the harmonic-plus-Gaussian potential is lower than that in the quadratic-plus-quartic potential.

Chinese Physics B•Sep 29, 2009•7 citations

The surface excitations, shape deformation, and the formation of persistent current for a Gaussian obstacle potential rotating in a highly oblate Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) are investigated. A vortex dipole can be produced and trapped in the center of the stirrer even for the slow motion of the stirring beam. When the angular velocity of the obstacle is above some critical value, the condensate shape can be deformed remarkably at the corresponding rotation frequency followed by surface wave excitations. After a long enough time, a small number of vortices are found to be either trapped in the condensate or pinned by the obstacle, and a vortex dipole or several vortices can be trapped at the beam center, which provides another way to manipulate the vortex.

Motivated by a recent experiment [K. C. Wright et al., Phys. Rev. A 88, 063633 (2013)], we investigate the microscopic mechanism for excitation of vortices and formation of a persistent current in an annular BEC stirred by a narrow blue-detuned optical beam. In the framework of a two-dimensional mean-field model, we study the dissipative dynamics of the condensate with parameters that reflect realistic experimental conditions. Vortex-antivortex pairs appear near the center of the stirrer in the bulk of the condensate for slow motion of the stirring beam. When the barrier angular velocity is above some critical value, an outer edge surface mode develops and breaks into the vortices entering the condensate annulus. We determine the conditions for creation of vortex excitations in the stirred toroidal condensate and compare our results with experimental observations.

We studied the nucleation of vortices in a Bose-Einstein condensate stirred by a laser beam. The vortex cores were observed using time-of-flight absorption imaging. Depending on the stirrer size, either discrete resonances or a broad response was visible as the stir frequency was varied. Stirring beams small compared to the condensate size generated vortices below the critical rotation frequency for the nucleation of surface modes, suggesting a local mechanism of generation. In addition, we observed the centrifugal distortion of the condensate due to the rotating vortex lattice and found evidence for bent vortices.

Vortex nucleation in a Bose-Einstein condensate subject to a stirring potential is studied numerically using the zero-temperature, two-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation. In the case of a rotating, slightly anisotropic harmonic potential, the numerical results reproduce experimental findings, thereby showing that finite temperatures are not necessary for vortex excitation below the quadrupole frequency. In the case of a condensate subject to stirring by a narrow rotating potential, the process of vortex excitation is described by a classical model that treats the multitude of vortices created by the stirrer as a continuously distributed vorticity at the center of the cloud, but retains a potential flow pattern at large distances from the center.

We consider rotational motion of an interacting atomic Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) with both two- and three-body interactions in a quadratic-plus-quartic and harmonic-plus-Gaussian trap. By using the variational method, the influence of the three-body interaction and the anharmonicity of the trap on the lowest energy surface mode excitation and the spontaneous shape deformation (responsible for the vortex formation) in a rotating BEC is discussed in detail. It is found that the repulsive three-body interaction helps the formation of the vortex and reduces the lowest energy surface mode frequency and the critical rotational frequency of the system. Moreover, the critical rotational frequency for the vortex formation in the harmonic-plus-Gaussian potential is lower than that in the quadratic-plus-quartic potential.