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Geometric quantum hydrodynamics and Bose-Einstein condensates: non-Hamiltonian evolution of vortex lines

Scott A. Strong

Published Jan 1, 2018• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Geometric quantum hydrodynamics merges geometric hydrodynamics with quantum hydrodynamics to study the geometric properties of vortex structures in superfluid states of matter. Here the vortex line acts as the fundamental building block and is a topological defect of the fluid medium about which the otherwise irrotational fluid circulates. In this thesis, we show that except for the simplest fluid flows, a vortex line seeks to decompose localized regions of curvature into helical configurations. The simplest flow, known as the local induction approximation, is also an integrable one. Integrability makes the transfer of energy into helical modes impossible. In the following, we demonstrate that any arclength conserving correction to this approximation defines a non-Hamiltonian evolution of the vortex geometry, which is capable of supporting dissipative solitons and helical wavefronts. Quantum turbulence in ultracold vortex tangles relies on energy transfer between helical or Kelvin modes to decay. Thus, models of vortex lines beyond the lowest order integrable cases are vitally important to our mathematical description of free decay of turbulent tangles. To motivate the results of this thesis we connect our theory of vortex line dynamics to continuum fluid mechanics. The Navier-Stokes equations are a statement of momentum balance for a fluid whose response to shear stress is proportional to the fluid's velocity gradients. Building off of Onsager's rather obscure work in fluid turbulence, others have shown that solutions to Navier-Stokes limit to Euler evolutions of distributional velocity profiles for large Reynolds number. Using this as our context, we show that the Euler equation can be transformed, in an inverse Madelung sense, to the Gross-Pitaevskii equation associated with the mean-field quantum dynamics of a dilute Bose gas. This theory predicts that an irrotational fluid is capable of circulating around regions of density depletion known as vortex lines. Furthermore, if a vortex line is used as the ansatz for the Gross-Pitaevskii equation then it is possible to show that the Biot-Savart integral over the vortex source results. This connection between the vortex line geometry and the induced velocity field provides the basis for the application of geometric quantum hydrodynamics to Bose-Einstein condensates. If the Biot-Savart integral is the basis of geometric quantum hydrodynamics, then Hasimoto's transformation is the structure built on top. The fundamental theorem of space curves states that up to rotations and translations, a curve is defined by its curvature and torsion. Through the Hasimoto transformation, it is possible to map flows defined by the Biot-Savart integral to scalar partial differential equations evolving the curvature and torsion of a vortex line. In this thesis, we conduct an asymptotic expansion of the Biot-Savart integral and apply the Hasimoto transformation to show that vortex lines prefer to relax curved abnormalities through the excitation of helical waves along the vortex. Thus, our…

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Geometric quantum hydrodynamics merges geometric hydrodynamics with quantum hydrodynamics to study the geometric properties of vortex structures in superfluid states of matter. Here the vortex line acts as the fundamental building block and is a topological defect of the fluid medium about which the otherwise irrotational fluid circulates. In this thesis, we show that except for the simplest fluid flows, a vortex line seeks to decompose localized regions of curvature into helical configurations. The simplest flow, known as the local induction approximation, is also an integrable one. Integrability makes the transfer of energy into helical modes impossible. In the following, we demonstrate that any arclength conserving correction to this approximation defines a non-Hamiltonian evolution of the vortex geometry, which is capable of supporting dissipative solitons and helical wavefronts. Quantum turbulence in ultracold vortex tangles relies on energy transfer between helical or Kelvin modes to decay. Thus, models of vortex lines beyond the lowest order integrable cases are vitally important to our mathematical description of free decay of turbulent tangles. To motivate the results of this thesis we connect our theory of vortex line dynamics to continuum fluid mechanics. The Navier-Stokes equations are a statement of momentum balance for a fluid whose response to shear stress is proportional to the fluid's velocity gradients. Building off of Onsager's rather obscure work in fluid turbulence, others have shown that solutions to Navier-Stokes limit to Euler evolutions of distributional velocity profiles for large Reynolds number. Using this as our context, we show that the Euler equation can be transformed, in an inverse Madelung sense, to the Gross-Pitaevskii equation associated with the mean-field quantum dynamics of a dilute Bose gas. This theory predicts that an irrotational fluid is capable of circulating around regions of density depletion known as vortex lines. Furthermore, if a vortex line is used as the ansatz for the Gross-Pitaevskii equation then it is possible to show that the Biot-Savart integral over the vortex source results. This connection between the vortex line geometry and the induced velocity field provides the basis for the application of geometric quantum hydrodynamics to Bose-Einstein condensates. If the Biot-Savart integral is the basis of geometric quantum hydrodynamics, then Hasimoto's transformation is the structure built on top. The fundamental theorem of space curves states that up to rotations and translations, a curve is defined by its curvature and torsion. Through the Hasimoto transformation, it is possible to map flows defined by the Biot-Savart integral to scalar partial differential equations evolving the curvature and torsion of a vortex line. In this thesis, we conduct an asymptotic expansion of the Biot-Savart integral and apply the Hasimoto transformation to show that vortex lines prefer to relax curved abnormalities through the excitation of helical waves along the vortex. Thus, our…
Ultra-cold quantum turbulence is expected to decay through a cascade of Kelvin waves. These helical excitations couple vorticity to the quantum fluid causing long wavelength phonon fluctuations in a Bose-Einstein condensate. This interaction is hypothesized to be the route to relaxation for turbulent tangles in quantum hydrodynamics. The local induction approximation is the lowest order approximation to the Biot-Savart velocity field induced by a vortex line and, because of its integrability, is thought to prohibit energy transfer by Kelvin waves. Using the Biot-Savart description, we derive a generalization to the local induction approximation which predicts that regions of large curvature can reconfigure themselves as Kelvin wave packets. While this generalization preserves the arclength metric, a quantity conserved under the Eulerian flow of vortex lines, it also introduces a non-Hamiltonian structure on the geometric properties of the vortex line. It is this non-Hamiltonian evolution of curvature and torsion which provides a resolution to the missing Kelvin wave motion. In this work, we derive corrections to the local induction approximation in powers of curvature and state them for utilization in vortex filament methods. Using the Hasimoto transformation, we arrive at a nonlinear integro-differential equation which reduces to a modified nonlinear Schrödinger type evolution of the curvature and torsion on the vortex line. We show that this modification seeks to disperse localized curvature profiles. At the same time, the non-Hamiltonian break in integrability bolsters the deforming curvature profile and simulations show that this dynamic results in Kelvin wave propagation along the dispersive vortex medium.
This work rectifies the hydrodynamic equations commonly used to describe the superfluid velocity field in such a way that vortex dynamics are also taken into account. In the field of quantum turbulence, it is of fundamental importance to know the correct form of the equations which play similar roles to the Navier-Stokes equation in classical turbulence. Here, such equations are obtained by carefully taking into account the frequently overlooked multivalued nature of the U(1)U(1)U(1) phase field. Such an approach provides exact analytical explanations to some numerically observed features involving the dynamics of quantum vortices in Bose-Einstein condensates, such as the universal t1/2{t}^{1/2}t1/2 behavior of reconnecting vortex lines. It also expands these results beyond the Gross-Pitaevskii theory so that some features can be generalized to other systems such as superfluid 4He^{4}\mathrm{He}4He, dipolar condensates, and mixtures of different superfluid systems.
The dynamics of quantized vortices in weakly interacting superfluids are often modeled by a nonlinear Schrödinger equation. In contrast, we show that quantized vortices in fact obey a non-Hamiltonian evolution equation, which enhances dispersion along the vortex line while introducing a gain mechanism. This allows the vortex medium to support a helical shock front propagating ahead of a dissipative soliton. This dynamic relaxes localized curvature events into Kelvin wave packets. Consequently, a beyond local induction model provides a pathway for decay in low-temperature quantum turbulence.
This thesis investigates geometric approaches to quantum hydrodynamics (QHD) in order to develop applications in theoretical quantum chemistry. Based upon the momentum map geometric structure of QHD and the associated Lie-Poisson and Euler-Poincaré equations, alternative geometric approaches to the classical limit in QHD are presented. These include a new regularised Lagrangian which allows for singular solutions called 'Bohmions' as well as a 'cold fluid' classical closure quantum mixed states. The momentum map approach to QHD is then applied to the nuclear dynamics in a chemistry model known as exact factorization. The geometric treatment extends existing approaches to include unitary electronic evolution in the frame of the nuclear flow, with the resulting dynamics carrying both Euler-Poincaré and Lie-Poisson structures. A new mixed quantum-classical model is then derived by considering a generalised factorisation ansatz at the level of the molecular density matrix. A new alternative geometric formulation of QHD is then constructed. Introducing a u(1)\mathfrak{u}(1)u(1) connection as the new fundamental variable provides a new method for incorporating holonomy in QHD, which follows from its constant non-zero curvature. The fluid flow is no longer irrotational and carries a non-trivial circulation theorem, allowing for vortex filament solutions. Finally, non-Abelian connections are then considered in quantum mechanics. The dynamics of the spin vector in the Pauli equation allows for the introduction of an so(3)\mathfrak{so}(3)so(3) connection whilst a more general u(H)\mathfrak{u}(\mathscr{H})u(H) connection is introduced from the unitary evolution of a quantum system. This is used to provide a new geometric picture for the Berry connection and quantum geometric tensor, whilst relevant applications to quantum chemistry are then considered.
The dynamics of vortex solitons is studied in a BEC superfluid. A quantum lattice-gas algorithm (measurementbased quantum computation) is employed to examine the dynamical behavior vortex soliton solutions of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation (ø4 interaction nonlinear Schroedinger equation). Quantum turbulence is studied in large grid numerical simulations: Kolmogorov spectrum associated with a Richardson energy cascade occurs on large flow scales. At intermediate scales, a new k-6 power law emerges, due to vortex filamentary reconnections associated with Kelvin wave instabilities (vortex twisting) coupling to sound modes and the exchange of intermediate vortex rings. Finally, at very small spatial scales a k-3power law emerges, characterizing fluid dynamics occurring within the scale size of the vortex cores themselves. Poincaré recurrence is studied: in the free non-interacting system, a fast Poincaré recurrence occurs for regular arrays of line vortices. The recurrence period is used to demarcate dynamics driving a nonlinear quantum fluid towards turbulence, since fast recurrence is an approximate symmetry of the nonlinear quantum fluid at early times. This class of quantum algorithms is useful for studying BEC superfluid dynamics and, without modification, should allow for higher resolution simulations (with many components) on future quantum computers.
We develop a neutral vortex fluid theory on closed surfaces with zero genus. The theory describes collective dynamics of many well-separated quantum vortices in a superfluid confined on a closed surface. Comparing to the case on a plane, the covariant vortex fluid equation on a curved surface contains an additional term proportional to Gaussian curvature multiplying the circulation quantum. This term describes the coupling between topological defects and curvature in the macroscopic level. For a sphere, the simplest nontrivial stationary vortex flow is obtained analytically and this flow is analogous to the celebrated zonal Rossby-Haurwitz wave in classical fluids on a nonrotating sphere. For this flow the difference between the coarse-grained vortex velocity field and the fluid velocity field generated by vortices is solely driven by curvature and vanishes in the corresponding vortex flow on a plane when the radius of the sphere goes to infinity. Published by the American Physical Society 2024