We have performed numerical simulations of various vortex configurations in a trapped BoseEinstein condensate by solving the two-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation in the presence of a simple model of interaction between the condensate and the finite temperature thermal cloud that surrounds it. In that interaction the non-condensed thermal cloud acts as a source of dissipation with a damping effect of excitations. In the case ora single vortex and a vortex - anti vortex pair, we have found that the path of the vortices depends on the initial position, the initial separation distance if the case of two vortices and dissipation. This motion is periodic and it was found that sound waves are created by vortex motion; the intensity was stronger when the initial vortex separation distance was smaller. We have calculated the sound energy as the difference between the kinetic energy and the vortex energy. With no dissipation the vortices followed the same path with a slight oscillation due to the sound waves. We found that the smaller the initial vortex separation distance do is, the larger the sound production. The period, frequency, translation speed, sound energy and vortex energy were measured for different initial separation distances do and for different dissipation parameters 'Y. In the case of motion of one vortex, the connection between the dissipation 'Y and the friction coefficients, a and a' was studied as well. To create a simple turbulent state, we put eight pairs of vortex - anti vortex at random positions in the condensate with initial separation distance do =1.8 between them. 'Ve have studied the decay rate of the total energy, kinetic energy, quantum energy, trap energy and the z - component of the angular momentum together with the increase rate of the internal energy. Finally, we finished our investigation by putting randomly vortex - anti vortex pairs and studied the decrease of the number of vortices with time t. We found that the decrease is exponential.
We have performed numerical simulations of various vortex configurations in a trapped BoseEinstein condensate by solving the two-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation in the presence of a simple model of interaction between the condensate and the finite temperature thermal cloud that surrounds it. In that interaction the non-condensed thermal cloud acts as a source of dissipation with a damping effect of excitations. In the case ora single vortex and a vortex - anti vortex pair, we have found that the path of the vortices depends on the initial position, the initial separation distance if the case of two vortices and dissipation. This motion is periodic and it was found that sound waves are created by vortex motion; the intensity was stronger when the initial vortex separation distance was smaller. We have calculated the sound energy as the difference between the kinetic energy and the vortex energy. With no dissipation the vortices followed the same path with a slight oscillation due to the sound waves. We found that the smaller the initial vortex separation distance do is, the larger the sound production. The period, frequency, translation speed, sound energy and vortex energy were measured for different initial separation distances do and for different dissipation parameters 'Y. In the case of motion of one vortex, the connection between the dissipation 'Y and the friction coefficients, a and a' was studied as well. To create a simple turbulent state, we put eight pairs of vortex - anti vortex at random positions in the condensate with initial separation distance do =1.8 between them. 'Ve have studied the decay rate of the total energy, kinetic energy, quantum energy, trap energy and the z - component of the angular momentum together with the increase rate of the internal energy. Finally, we finished our investigation by putting randomly vortex - anti vortex pairs and studied the decrease of the number of vortices with time t. We found that the decrease is exponential.
Numerical simulations of vortex motion in a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate were performed by solving the two-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation in the presence of a simple phenomenological model of interaction between the condensate and the finite temperature thermal cloud. The log (base e) of total energy, trap energy, quantum energy, kinetic energy, internal energy and z-component of the angular momentum vs time were compared with f(x)=a+bx for that time when the vortices come in in the condensate. The increasing/decay rate of these energies and L_{z} were studied as a function of dissipation.
We study the dynamics of a single vortex and a pair of vortices in quasi two-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensates at finite temperatures. To this end, we use the stochastic Gross--Pitaevskii equation, which is the Langevin equation for the Bose--Einstein condensate. For a pair of vortices, we study the dynamics of both the vortex-vortex and vortex-antivortex pairs, which are generated by rotating the trap and moving the Gaussian obstacle potential, respectively. Due to thermal fluctuations, the constituent vortices are not symmetrically generated with respect to each other at finite temperatures. This initial asymmetry coupled with the presence of random thermal fluctuations in the system can lead to different decay rates for the component vortices of the pair, especially in the case of two corotating vortices.
In this thesis we solve the Gross-Pitaevskii equation numerically in order to model the response of trapped Bose-Einstein condensed gases to perturbations by electromagnetic fields. First, we simulate output coupling of pulses from the condensate and compare our results to experiments. The excitation and separation of eigenmodes on flow through a constriction is also studied. We then move on to the main theme of this thesis: the important subject of quantised vortices in Bose condensates, and the relation between Bose-Einstein condensation and superfluidity. We propose methods of producing vortex pairs and rings by controlled motion of objects. Full three-dimensional simulations under realistic experimental conditions are performed in order to test the validity of these ideas. We link vortex formation to drag forces on the object, which in turn is connected with energy transfer to the condensate. We therefore argue that vortex formation by moving objects is intimately related to the onset of dissipation in superfluids. We discuss this idea in the context of a recent experiment, using simulations to provide evidence of vortex formation in the experimental scenario. Superfluidity is also manifest in the property of persistent currents, which is linked to vortex stability and dynamics. We simulate vortex line and ring motion, and find in both cases precessional motion and thermodynamic instability to dissipation. Strictly speaking, the Gross-Pitaevskii equation is valid only for temperatures far below the BEC transition. We end the thesis by describing a simple finite-temperature model to describe mean-field coupling between condensed and non-condensed components of the gas. We show that our hybrid Monte-Carlo/FFT technique can describe damping of the lowest energy excitations of the system. Extensions to this model and future research directions are discussed in the conclusion. (author)
In this thesis we study the dynamics of dark solitons, vortices and Josephson effects, in trapped atomic Bose-Einstein condensates. We firstly demonstrate a novel, sound mediated, long-range interaction mechanism between dark solitons using the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. Then we present the effect of finite temperatures on the dynamics of vortices and Josephson effects using a generalised form of this equation, which additionally includes a source term modelling the coupling of the condensate to a fully dynamical thermal cloud, described by a quantum Boltzmann equation. The latter formalism is known as the Zaremba-Nikuni-Griffin scheme (ZNG). The sound-mediated interaction between dark solitons is such that the speed and trajectory of one soliton in a condensate confined by a harmonic trap can be significantly modified by the presence of a second soliton in the same trap. By confining the two solitons to spatially separated subregions of a double well trap, we show how this effect can be magnified. In particular we find it can be large, and therefore detectable, in experimentally relevant geometries, including high-periodicity optical lattices in which the ability of solitons to act as both absorbers and emitters of energy becomes apparent. At finite temperatures, we model the dynamics via the ZNG scheme. Firstly, we give a detailed description of the scheme for numerically solving these coupled equations including all collisional terms. Then we study the effect of a dynamical thermal cloud on vortex dynamics, in particular, focussing on the experimentally-relevant quantities of precession frequencies, decay rates and vortex core brightness. The changes in these are found to increase with increasing temperature for a pancake-shaped geometry, in particular for trapping parameters of a recent experiment of Freilich et al. (Science 329, 1182 (2010)). Particle exchanging collisions between the condensate and thermal cloud are found to be crucial in determining the rate of decay of a precessing vortex. We further show that, rotation of the thermal cloud can be a mechanism for radially translating the position of a vortex, a scenario under current investigation. Finally, we analyse the effect of finite temperatures on population dynamics in a double well atom chip experiment by LeBlanc et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 025302 (2011)). Focussing on the coupled evolution in the absence of collisions, we find that it generates significant damping which is, however, less than that observed in the experiment. A detailed comparison in the presence of collisions is beyond the scope of this thesis.
Dilute atomic Bose-Einstein condensates support intriguing macroscopic excitations in the form of quantized vortices and dark solitons. In this thesis we present extensive quantitative studies of the dynamics of these phenomena in the limit of zero temperature, performed by numerical simulation of the Gross- Pitaevskii equation. We show that vortices and dark solitons are inherently unstable to acceleration through the condensate, leading to the emission of sound waves. Indeed, for a single vortex/soliton, the power emitted is proportional to the square of the local acceleration. However, due to the finite size of the condensate, the vortex/soliton reinteracts with the emitted sound. This coupling has an important effect on the ensuing dynamics, and we illustrate how it can be engineered to induce net decay, stabilise, or even drive energy into the vortex/soliton. Under the harmonic confinement typically employed to trap the condensates, the acceleration-induced decay is stabilised by reabsorption of the emitted sound. However, by modifying the trap geometry, e.g. by adding an inner dimple in which the soliton resides or an optical lattice potential, it is possible to break this equilibrium and so induce a net decay of the vortex/soliton in a controllable manner. The decay rate can be considerable and should be observable under current experimental conditions. The dynamical stability of quantized vortices is also relevant to the field of turbulence in superfluid Helium, where the motion of the vortices is induced by the surrounding distribution of vortices rather than density. We extend these results to this field, and additionally consider the interactions between two and three vortices, which are also found to involve sound emission. By exciting the sound field of the condensate it is possible to drive parametrically energy into a dark soliton. In a real dissipative environment, this can be used to stabilise the soliton decay. Finally, we illustrate the links between dark solitons and vortices: a dark soliton embedded in a three-dimensional system is prone to decay into vortex rings, while a vortex in a quasi-one-dimensional geometry cannot be supported and exists as a hybrid between a vortex and dark soliton, known as a solitonic vortex.
The properties of vortex states in a Bose-Einstein-condensed cloud of atoms are considered at zero temperature. Using both analytical and numerical methods, we solve the time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii equation for the case when a cloud of atoms containing a vortex is released from a trap. In two dimensions we find the simple result that the time dependence of the cloud radius is given by $(1+{\ensuremath{\omega}}^{2}{t}^{2}{)}^{1/2},$ where $\ensuremath{\omega}$ is the trap frequency. We calculate and compare the expansion of the vortex core and the cloud radius for different numbers of particles and interaction strengths, in both two and three dimensions, and discuss the circumstances under which vortex states may be observed experimentally.