Quantum reflection of vortices in Bose-Einstein condensates
M. Liu, L. She, Hongwei Xiong +1 more
We consider the quantum reflection of vortices in Bose-Einstein condensates incident on a solid surface. Compared with the condensate without angular momentum, the rotation of the vortex gives unique opportunities to consider the interaction process between a matter wave and a solid surface. Due to the atom-surface interaction and dynamic excitations induced by interatomic interaction, our numerical simulations show that the reflected vortex would become unstable for sufficiently low velocity and large interaction strength. The stability diagram for the reflected vortex is given, and physical mechanism for this stability diagram is discussed. It is found that the expansion ratio between the reflected and incident vortices gives the boundary between stable and unstable regions for the reflected vortex.
Physical Review A•Oct 26, 2006•6 citations