When an obstacle is moved in a superfluid faster than a critical velocity, quantized vortices are generated behind the obstacle. Here we propose a method to create more complicated topological excitations, three-dimensional skyrmions, behind a moving obstacle. We numerically show that, in a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate, component-dependent obstacle potentials can generate skyrmions in the wake, made up of quantized vortex rings in different components that are linked with each other. The lifetime of generated skyrmions can be prolonged by a guiding potential, which enables the formation of a skyrmion train.
We investigate the stability of a vortex ring in a miscible two-component Bose-Einstein condensate confined in a harmonic potential, where the vortex cores in the two components are initially overlapped. Solving the Gross-Pitaevskii equation numerically, we find that the overlapped vortex rings in the two components are dynamically unstable against separation and that they can form linked vortex rings, resulting in a three-dimensional skyrmion. The parameter range for spontaneous skyrmion generation is determined by the Bogoliubov analysis.
We numerically investigate the dynamics of vortex generation in a two-dimensional, two-component Bose-Einstein condensate subjected to an oscillatory magnetic obstacle. The obstacle creates both repulsive and attractive Gaussian potentials for the two symmetric spin-$\ensuremath{\uparrow}$ and $\ensuremath{\downarrow}$ components, respectively. We demonstrate that, as the oscillating frequency
f increases, two distinct critical dynamics arise in the generation of half-quantum vortices (HQVs) with different spin circulations. Spin-$\ensuremath{\uparrow}$ vortices are nucleated directly from the moving obstacle at low
f, while the spin-$\ensuremath{\downarrow}$ vortices are created at high
f by breaking a spin wave pulse in front of the obstacle. We find that vortex generation is suppressed for sufficiently weak obstacles, in agreement with recent experimental results by Kim et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 095302 (2021)]. This suppression is caused by the finite sweeping distance of the oscillating obstacle and the reduction in friction in a supersonic regime. Finally, we show that the characteristic length scale of the HQV generation dynamics is determined by the spin healing length of the system.
We propose a simple way to generate nonlinear excitations in a controllable way by managing interactions in Bose-Einstein condensates. Under the action of a quantum analog of a classical piston, the condensed atoms are pushed through the trap, generating vortex rings infully three-dimensional condensates or soliton trains in quasi-one-dimensional scenarios. The vortex rings form due to transverse instability of the shock-wave train, enhanced and supported by the energy transfer between waves. We elucidate in what sense the self-interactions within the atom cloud define the properties of the generated vortex rings and soliton trains. Based on the quantum-piston scheme we study the behavior of two-component Bose-Einstein condensates and analyze how the presence of an additional superfluid influences the generation of vortex rings or solitons in the other component, and vice versa. Finally, we show the dynamical emergence of skyrmions within two-component systems in the immiscible regime.
We propose a method of generating a vortex ring in a Bose-Einstein condensate by means of electromagnetically induced atomic transitions. Some remnant population of atoms in a second internal state remains within the toroidal trap formed by the mean-field repulsion of the vortex ring. This population can be removed, or it can be made to flow around the torus (i.e., within the vortex ring). If this flow has a unit topological winding number, the entire structure formed by the two condensates is an example of a three-dimensional Skyrmion texture.
When a superfluid flows past an obstacle, quantized vortices can be created in the wake above a certain critical velocity. In the experiment by Kwon et al. [Phys. Rev. A 91, 053615 (2015)], the critical velocity
vc was measured for atomic Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) using a moving repulsive Gaussian potential, and
vc was minimized when the potential height
V0 of the obstacle was close to the condensate chemical potential $\ensuremath{\mu}$. Here we numerically investigate the evolution of the critical vortex shedding in a two-dimensional BEC with increasing
V0 and show that the minimum
vc at the critical strength ${V}_{0c}\ensuremath{\approx}\ensuremath{\mu}$ results from the local density reduction and vortex-pinning effect of the repulsive obstacle. The spatial distribution of the superflow around the moving obstacle just below
vc is examined. The particle density at the tip of the obstacle decreases as
V0 increases to
Vc0, and at the critical strength, a vortex dipole is suddenly formed and dragged by the moving obstacle, indicating the onset of vortex pinning. The minimum
vc exhibits power-law scaling with the obstacle size $\ensuremath{\sigma}$ as ${v}_{c}\ensuremath{\sim}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\gamma}}$ with $\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\approx}1/2$.
Abstract We consider a quasi-two-dimensional Bose–Einstein condensate with a moving impenetrable disk-shaped potential. By performing direct numerical simulations, we investigate the formation and dynamics of the vortices in the wake as a function of the moving velocity and the radius of the potential. For moderate moving velocity, we observe the formation of a bound vortex pair in the wake of the potential. Its shedding period and associated patterns depend on the radius of the potential, showing V-shaped, periodic, or complex wakes. More interestingly, at high velocity both the vortex pair and vortex dipole can be formed simultaneously. Furthermore, the activation time for vortex formation is investigated for different velocities. We also give an experimental protocol to observe these phenomena in future experiments.