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arXiv:2606.17498

Vorticity Induced by Non-frontal Collisions of Quantum Droplets

J. E. Alba-Arroyo, Santiago F. Caballero-Benitez, Rocio Jáuregu

cond-mat.quant-gasphysics.atom-phquant-phSubmitted Jun 16, 2026• Announced Jun 17, 2026• 0 citations
v1 · Jun 16, 2026v2 · Jun 18, 2026v3 · Sep 12, 2026
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Abstract

The rotational dynamics induced by the non-frontal binary collisions of quantum droplets composed of ultracold alkali atoms are analyzed. A theoretical study is presented within the extended Gross-Pitaevskii equation framework, using experimentally feasible conditions. Numerical experiments elucidate a rich landscape of possible topological excitations in the system that are robust towards measurements. The collision of heteronuclear quantum droplets composed of $^{41}$K and $^{87}$Rb atoms in the incompressible regime, gives rise to dynamical instabilities that spontaneously generate topological defects: vortex rings, dislocation lines, and vortices in one species. Their presence depends on the Weber number and the impact parameter. An experimental proposal for vortex detection in both real and Fourier space using interaction ramps is described.

Comments
6 pages, 4 figures and 3 pages of Supplemental Material

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The rotational dynamics induced by the non-frontal binary collisions of quantum droplets composed of ultracold alkali atoms are analyzed. A theoretical study is presented within the extended Gross-Pitaevskii equation framework, using experimentally feasible conditions. Numerical experiments elucidate a rich landscape of possible topological excitations in the system that are robust towards measurements. The collision of heteronuclear quantum droplets composed of 41^{41}41K and 87^{87}87Rb atoms in the incompressible regime, gives rise to dynamical instabilities that spontaneously generate topological defects: vortex rings, dislocation lines, and vortices in one species. Their presence depends on the Weber number and the impact parameter. An experimental proposal for vortex detection in both real and Fourier space using interaction ramps is described.
A theoretical analysis of the rotational dynamics induced by off-axis binary collisions of quantum droplets constituted by ultracold atoms is reported. We focus on quantum droplets formed by degenerate dilute Bose gases made from binary mixtures of alkaline atoms under feasible experimental conditions. The stability of the ground state is known to be longer for the chosen heteronuclear gases than for the homonuclear ones. In both cases, we find that the dynamics seem to privilege high similarity of the density of each atomic species. However, the evolution of the phase of the corresponding order parameter differs significantly for heteronuclear admixtures. We evaluate the fidelity as a figure of merit for the overlap between the order parameters of each atomic species. Dynamical evidence of the differences between the phases of the order parameters is predicted to manifest in their corresponding linear and angular momenta. We numerically verify that the total angular and linear momenta are both conserved during the collision. Some direct correlations between the Weber number and the impact parameter with the distribution of the dynamical variables are established.
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^{4}\mathrm{He}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.
Abstract We systematically explore isotropic self-bound liquid states and topological vortex excitations in two-dimensional binary Bose-Einstein condensates with tunable Rydberg soft-core interactions, modeled by the Gross-Pitaevskii equation incorporating the two-dimensional Lee-Huang-Yang quantum correction. Combining analytical Thomas-Fermi treatment with high-precision numerical simulations, we obtain stable fundamental and vortex-carrying quantum droplet solutions and investigate their collisional dynamics. The particle number N and Rydberg coupling strength κ are shown to systematically modulate the spatial and thermodynamic properties of both vortex-free and ring-shaped vortex liquids. In the repulsive regime κ > 0, our results agree quantitatively with those of magnetic quadrupolar condensates, confirming a common stabilization scenario for two-dimensional quantum fluids. More importantly, the Rydberg system distinguishes itself by offering fully isotropic, sign-switchable interactions and sustaining stable vortex droplets with winding numbers up to m = 4 over broad parameter ranges—features that are severely constrained in anisotropic quadrupolar counterparts.Collisions between moving zero-vorticity and vortex self-bound droplets are briefly discussed, demonstrate that their collisional dynamics are universal under the competing nonlocal repulsion and the logarithmic Lee-Huang-Yang effect.
A theoretical analysis of binary collisions of quantum droplets under feasible experimental conditions is reported. Droplets formed from degenerate dilute Bose gases made up from binary mixtures of ultracold atoms are considered. Reliable expressions for the surface tension of the droplets are introduced based on a study of low energy excitations of their ground state within the random phase approximation. Their relevance is evaluated considering an estimation of the expected excitation energy having in mind the Thouless variational theorem. The surface tension expressions allow calculating the Weber number of the droplets involved in the collisions. Several regimes on the outcomes of the binary frontal collisions that range from the coalescence of the quantum droplets to their disintegration into smaller droplets are identified. Atoms losses of the droplets derived from self-evaporation and three-body scattering are quantified for both homo- and hetero-nuclear mixtures. Their control is mandatory for the observation of some interesting effects arising from droplets collisions.
Using density functional theory, we have theoretically studied the formation and the stability of vortices in quantum liquid droplets composed of a mixture of hyperfine states of potassium. Following the experimental setup that produced quantum droplets for the first time, we work with squeezed drops that are compressed in one direction. By squeezing the drops even more, toward a quasi-two-dimensional geometry, we study the minimum atom number able to show a stable vortex and obtain that this number is significantly smaller than previous predictions for spherical droplets. The reduction of the critical atom number for forming a stable vortex could make their experimental observation in these droplets, which is still lacking, more feasible. Contrary to results obtained in heteronuclear mixtures, where the energetically preferred vortices are partially filled with the species not participating in the rotation, our results show a relevant stability island of fully empty vortices. Increasing the number of particles in the drop and the speed of rotation, we estimate the transition line between empty and filled vortices.
Bose-Einstein condensation(BEC) has been a research hotspot in cold atom physics for the past few decades. Recently, experiments on BECs have reported the observation of liquid-like quantum droplets, attracting significant interest. The physics for forming quantum droplets can be explained by zero-point quantum fluctuation which effectively prohibit the collapse caused by the mean-field interactions between the atoms. The stabilization mechanism beyond the mean-field theory, induced by quantum fluctuations, can be described by the Lee–Huang–Yang(LHY) correction. Normally, forming stable 2D or 3D solitons in free space is a challenging problem. Additionally, an intriguing question is how to generate 2D or 3D solitons with embedded vorticity. The LHY stability mechanism offers a new approach to producing stable solitons and vortex solitons in BECs. In this thesis, two-dimensional vortex quantum droplets in Bose-Einstein condensates, including those with and without external potential, are examined. The study of solitons and vortex solitons in BECs under mean-field interactions and external potential has yielded significant results. This thesis expands this field by introducing the LHY correction to study stable quantum droplets and vortex droplets in BECs. The work chapters begin with studying binary quantum droplets in free space, considering the case where interspecies interactions are weakly attractive and intraspecies interactions are weakly repulsive. The zero-vorticity, semi-vortex, and binary vortex quantum droplets are studied in Chapter 3. Stable semi-vortex quantum droplets with embedded vorticity up to 8 are found in this system. This result gives a way to form stable vortex droplets with high topological charges in free space by controlling one component with zero vorticity and the other component with embedded vorticity. The stability and properties of these droplets are systematically studied. Chapter 4 explores the vortex quantum droplets and hidden vortex droplets confined within a radial lattice trap. It is found that the existence curves of the droplets confined within this optical trap could violate the Vakhitov-Kolokolov(VK) criterion, which is a necessary condition to form a stable soliton. A remarkable finding is that the vortex and hidden vortex quantum droplets in this radial lattice remain stable when they carry the embedded vorticity up to 11. The double-ring vortex and hidden vortex quantum droplets confined within this radial lattice are also discussed. The work expands from non-magnetic atoms to magnetic atoms in Chapter 5, which needs to consider the dipole-dipole interactions(DDIs). The anisotropic dipolar vortex quantum droplets trapped in an annular potential are studied. Under the effect of the ring shape potential, the double peak ring-shaped vortex droplets remain stable when they carry the embedded vorticity up to 11. It is the first time stable droplets with high topological charges have been formed in a dipolar system. Additionally, the shape transformation of dipolar vortex droplets induced by the strength of the mean-field interaction is examined. Finally, the behavior of dipolar vortex droplets confined within a weak-depth annular potential is also discussed. The results of this thesis may prove highly useful in creating stable vortex quantum droplets in Bose-Einstein condensates and advancing the broader field of ultracold atoms.