Vortex Lattices in Bose-Einstein Condensates: Theory

Toshihiro Sato, Tomohiko Ishiyama, Tetsuro Nikuni

Ashton S. Bradley, Crispin W. Gardiner, Matthew J. Davis

We develop a stochastic Gross-Pitaveskii theory suitable for the study of Bose-Einstein condensation in a rotating dilute Bose gas. The theory is used to model the dynamical and equilibrium properties of a rapidly rotating Bose gas quenched through the critical point for condensation, as in the experiment of Haljan et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 210403 (2001)]. In contrast to stirring a vortex-free condensate, where topological constraints require that vortices enter from the edge of the condensate, we find that phase defects in the initial noncondensed cloud are trapped en masse in the emerging condensate. Bose-stimulated condensate growth proceeds into a disordered vortex configuration. At sufficiently low temperature the vortices then order into a regular Abrikosov lattice in thermal equilibrium with the rotating cloud. We calculate the effect of thermal fluctuations on vortex ordering in the final gas at different temperatures, and find that the BEC transition is accompanied by lattice melting associated with diminishing long-range correlations between vortices across the system.

Chandra Raman

Gary Ruben, David M. Paganin, Michael J. Morgan

Numerical simulations of the interference of a three-way segmented nonrotating Bose-Einstein condensate reveal the production of a honeycomb vortex lattice containing significant numbers of vortices and antivortices. If confined within a trap, the lattice subsequently melts, exhibiting a rich assortment of vortex-antivortex interactions. In contrast with nonlinear vortex production mechanisms previously described for Bose-Einstein condensates, the process here is shown to be primarily one of linear superposition, with initial vortex locations approximately described by a linear theory of wave packet interference.

Davi Soares Dantas, Aristeu R. P. Lima, Andrey Chaves +3 more

We numerically study the vortex-vortex interaction in multicomponent homogeneous Bose-Einstein condensates within the realm of the Gross-Pitaevskii theory. We provide strong evidence that pairwise vortex interaction captures the underlying mechanisms which determine the geometric configuration of the vortices, such as different lattices in many-vortex states, as well as the bound vortex states with two (dimer) or three (trimer) vortices. Specifically, we discuss and apply our theoretical approach to investigate intra- and intercomponent vortex-vortex interactions in two- and three-component Bose-Einstein condensates, thereby shedding light on the formation of the exotic vortex configurations. These results correlate with current experimental efforts in multicomponent Bose-Einstein condensates and the understanding of the role of vortex interactions in multiband superconductors.