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Physical Review

Persistent Currents in Many-Boson Systems

Warren D. Grobman, Marshall Luban

Published Jul 8, 1966• 7 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A theoretical study of persistent currents in liquid ${\mathrm{He}}^{4}$ is given, in which a system of $N$ interacting bosons confined to a cylindrical container is chosen as a model. It is argued that these currents are metastable and a general model-independent stability criterion valid for all temperatures is derived. In this formulation it is essential that there is a single-particle state ${\ensuremath{\phi}}_{c}$ with nonzero angular momentum ${l}_{c}$ which is occupied by a macroscopic number [$O(N)$] of particles. The stability criterion is applied to the study of two soluble models, one, an independent-particle model studied for all temperatures, the other a quasiparticle model studied for $T=0$\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. For both models persistent currents are possible at $T=0$ provided that the interactions between particles are sufficiently strong and ${l}_{c}$ does not exceed a characteristic critical value ${l}_{M}$. The quantity ${l}_{M}$ is calculated for different choices of single-particle functions, and in particular for the solutions of a Hartree equation, which is relevant to a description of line vortices with quantized circulation. The density ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{c}(T)$ of particles macroscopically occupying ${\ensuremath{\phi}}_{c}$ at a temperature $T$, as well as the critical temperature ${T}^{*}$ above which no persistent currents are possible, are calculated for the independent-particle model.

DOI
10.1103/physrev.147.166

Related papers

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Exactly Solvable Many-Boson Model

R. W. Richardson

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Journal of Mathematical Physics•Sep 1, 1968•82 citations
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In this thesis, I explore the behavior of rotating ultra-cold Bose gases, by diagonalizing the Hamiltonian. This method has the advantage of being exact in the limit of weak interactions, and thus is a useful complement to the more commonly used Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation, which relies on a mean-field approximation. It is generally known that an ultra-cold Bose gas shows some remarkable properties under rotation, such as quantized vortices and persistent currents, and these are one main reason why we choose to study rotation. Abstract A repulsively interacting Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in a harmonic trapping potential will form singly quantized vortices when rotated. Papers I-V are examples of different kinds of generalizations to this basic system, each showing its particular non-trivial new features. Abstract In Paper I we make the trapping potential weakly anharmonic, and confirm the existence of multiply quantized vortices in both repulsively and attractively interacting condensates, which were previously predicted in Gross-Pitaevskii calculations. Abstract In Papers II and III, we generalize to a two-component system in a harmonic trap. The vortices that form under rotation will in general be coreless, i.e. one component will form a vortex and rotate around the other component. In Paper II we give some analytical expressions for the dispersion relation and occupation numbers at low angular momenta, and in Paper III we show how multiply quantized vortices can be stable in these systems. Abstract Finally we investigate bosons in potentials which can support persistent currents, i.e. rotating states that do not decay in a finite amount of time. These are possible if there is an energy barrier separating the rotating state from the non-rotating ground state. In Paper IV, we have a two-component condensate in a one-dimensional potential and we calculate among other things the minimum interaction strength where persistent currents can occur. In Paper V, we study an experimentally relevant two-dimensional annulus. Again we find that persistent currents are possible above a certain interaction strength, and we find this strength as a function of the width of the annulus, as well as how it depends on the relative population of the two species.
The persistent current in small isolated rings enclosing magnetic flux is the current circulating in equilibrium in the absence of an external excitation. While initially studied in superconducting and normal metals, recently, atomic persistent currents have been generated in ultracold gases spurring a new wave of theoretical investigations. Nevertheless, our understanding of the persistent currents in interacting systems is far from complete, especially at finite temperatures. Here we consider the fermionic one-dimensional Hubbard model and show that in the strong-interacting limit, the current can change its flux period and sign (diamagnetic or paramagnetic) as a function of temperature, features that cannot be explained within the single-particle or Luttinger liquid techniques. Also, the magnitude of the current can counterintuitively increase with temperature, in addition to presenting different rates of decay depending on the polarization of the system. Our work highlights the properties of the strongly interacting multicomponent systems that are missed by conventional approximation techniques, but can be important for the interpretation of experiments on persistent currents in ultracold gases.
Bose-Einstein condensation is a quantum statistical phase transition which was theoretically predicted almost a hundred years ago. After years of seminal research, physicists realized the first almost ideal Bose-Einstein condensates in ultracold dilute atomic gases in 1995. Since then, the theoretical and experimental methods concerning such systems have been developing rapidly, and many fascinating phenomena have been found in these novel quantum systems.\n\nBose-Einstein condensation occurs in a system consisting of massive bosons when a single quantum state becomes macroscopically occupied as the temperature is lowered below the transition temperature. In general, condensates consisting of repulsively interacting bosons exhibit superfluidity: Particle currents can flow in the system without dissipation and viscosity. Moreover, the velocity fields of condensates have to be irrotational, which severely restricts the rotational characteristics of these systems. Apart from the center of mass motion, the system may carry angular momentum in the form of elementary excitations or so-called quantized vortices.\n\nThis Thesis is a theoretical study of subjects related to stability and dynamics of quantized vortices in dilute atomic Bose-Einstein condensates. The precession and instability of off-centered vortices in trapped condensates is investigated both in the zero-temperature limit and at finite temperatures. Dynamical stability of multiply quantized vortices and vortex clusters is studied in axisymmetric trap geometries. Splitting of energetically and dynamically unstable multiply quantized vortices into singly quantized vortices is also studied. Finally, as a separate subject, tunneling of a condensate through a potential barrier is investigated. Majority of this work relies on numerical methods for solving the Gross-Pitaevskii and Bogoliubov equations, which are of central importance in the study of dilute atomic Bose-Einstein condensates.
Charge persistent currents in single-channel ballistic rings are investigated in various models of strongly correlated electrons (Wigner crystal, Luttinger liquid, Hubbard model, t–J model, and the fermion representation of the Heisenberg–Ising model). The primary objective of the survey is to compare the properties of Aharonov–Bohm oscillations for weakly and strongly correlated electrons and to formulate a set of persistent current characteristics that will unambiguously support the anomalous (departing from a Fermi liquid) behavior of one-dimensional electron systems. For this purpose the onset of the parity effect (dependence of the system response on whether the number of particles in the ring is odd or even) and various properties of the persistent current are analyzed in detail for model spinless fermions and real electrons. The influence of solitary impurities on the value and temperature dependence of the amplitude of the Aharanov–Bohm oscillations is also investigated. It is shown that the formation of a Wigner crystal (which is possible for weakly shielded Coulomb interaction) leads to a very pronounced anomalous (nonmonotonic) temperature dependence of the current in a nonideal ring. The properties of the charge current near the Mott metal–insulator transition are altered to the greatest degree by local types of electron–electron interaction.
We investigate the stability of persistent currents in superfluid fermionic gases confined to a ring geometry. Our study, conducted at zero temperature using time-dependent density functional theory, cover interaction regimes from strong (unitary Fermi gas) to weak (Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer regime) couplings. Stability is tested against the presence of an external defect within the ring. The dissipation mechanism associated with vortex generation is present in all interaction regimes. Vortex emission is accompanied by Cooper pair breaking, which occurs even beyond the vortex core in the weakly interacting regime. The pair-breaking mechanism prevents the imprinting of a persistent current with a winding number above a threshold, which decreases as the system approach the BCS regime. Our study reveals the existence of two types of critical winding numbers above which currents cease to be persistent in Fermi superfluids: one related to the proliferation of quantum vortices and the other to the onset of the pair-breaking mechanism.
A many-boson model is formulated and expressions for its exact eigenstates and energies are obtained for both an arbitrary finite and an infinite number of bosons. The Hamiltonian of the model contains interactions between bosons whose momenta have equal magnitudes but opposite directions. The matrix elements of this interaction are taken to be a constant over a range of momenta surrounding k = 0. The ground state of the 2N-particle system is shown to be a product of N pair-creation operators acting on the vacuum state. Each of these pair-creation operators depends upon one of N parameters which are called pair energies. The N pair energies are shown to satisfy a coupled system of nonlinear algebraic equations. The energy of the state is the sum of the pair energies and the occupation probabilities of the single-particle levels are given as simple functions of the pair energies. Similar results are derived for the excited states of the system and for the states of an odd number of particles. These results are valid for both a repulsive and an attractive interaction, since they only depend upon the form of the interaction. The equations are solved algebraically for two model systems. The first of these is one whose single-particle kinetic energy takes on only one value. The equations for this system are solved for an arbitrary interaction strength and it is shown that the pair energies are proportional to the zeros of certain Laguerre polynomials. The second system is one in which the single-particle kinetic energy can take on two values. The equations for this system are solved in the strong repulsive-interaction limit and it is shown that the pair energies are proportional to the zeros of certain Jacobi polynomials. The excitation energies of this second system are shown to be proportional to 1/n and the occupations of the two single-particle levels in the ground state are shown to be proportional to n, where n is the total number of particles. For a repulsive interaction and an arbitrary single-particle spectrum, the algebraic equations for the pair energies are converted into an approximate integral equation for the density of roots which is accurate to order 1/n. This integral equation is solved for a strong interaction which, in the context of this model, means an interaction whose strength is greater than a constant times 1/V⅔ in the limit of a large volume. From this solution, the following results are obtained: (1) the lowest two single-particle levels have occupations of order n; (2) the excitation spectrum is that of a set of noninteracting quasiparticles; and (3) the quasiparticle spectrum has two zeros corresponding to the lowest two single-particle levels. Apart from the presence of two zeros, the quasiparticle spectrum does not differ significantly from that of the noninteracting particles.