Ring-shaped Condensate Research Articles

Controllable splitting dynamics of a doubly quantized vortex in a ring-shaped condensate

We prepared a ring-shaped Bose–Einstein condensate with quantized circulation by imprinting a linear azimuthal phase. A doubly quantized vortex (DQV) can be generated and exist stably in the middle of the condensate cloud after the system is released into a rotationally symmetric harmonic trap. For an asymmetric trap with a small degree of anisotropy the generated DQV initially splits into two singly quantized vortices and revives again but eventually evolves into two unit vortices due to the dynamic instability. For the degree of anisotropy above a critical value, the DQV is extremely unstable and decays rapidly into two singlet vortices. The geometry-dependent lifetime of the DQV and vortex-induced excitations are also discussed intensively.

Andreev-reflection and Aharonov–Bohm dynamics in atomtronic circuits

We study the quantum transport through two specific atomtronic circuits: a Y-junction and a ring-shaped condensate pierced by an effective magnetic flux. We demonstrate that for bosons, the two circuits display Andreev-like reflections. For the Y-junction, the transport depends on the coupling strength of the Y-junction. For the ring-shaped condensate, the transport crucially depends on the particle statistics. For interacting bosons we find that the Aharonov–Bohm interference effect is absent. By breaking the translational invariance of the ring, the flux dependence can be restored. A complementary view of the problem is obtained through a specific non-equilibrium quench protocol. We find that the steady-state is independent of the flux, however the actual time-dynamics depends on the flux. The dynamics of the full closed system can be fitted with an approximated open system approach. For all the protocols we studied, we find striking differences in the dynamics of the Bose–Hubbard model and the Gross–Pitaevskii equation.

Vortices in a toroidal Bose-Einstein condensate with a rotating weak link

Motivated by a recent experiment [K. C. Wright et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 025302 (2013)], we investigate deterministic discontinuous jumps between quantized circulation states in a toroidally trapped Bose-Einstein condensate. These phase slips are induced by vortex excitations created by a rotating weak link. We analyze the influence of a localized condensate density depletion and atomic superflows, governed by the rotating barrier, on the energetic and dynamical stability of the vortices in the ring-shaped condensate. We simulate in a three-dimensional dissipative mean-field model the dynamics of the condensate using parameters similar to the experimental conditions. Moreover, we consider the dynamics of the stirred condensate far beyond the experimentally explored region and reveal surprising manifestations of complex vortex dynamics.

Self-interference of a toroidal Bose–Einstein condensate

We demonstrate the self-interference of a single Bose–Einstein condensate on a non-simply connected geometry, focussing on a toroidally trapped ring-shaped condensate. First, we show how the opposite parts of the ring can interfere using the Wigner function representation. Then, using analytical expressions for the time-evolution of a freely expanding ring-shaped condensate with and without a persistent current, we show that the self-interference of the ring-shaped condensate is possible only in the absence of the persistent current. We conclude by proposing an experimental protocol for the creation of ring dark solitons using the toroidal self-interference.

Sonic black holes in dilute Bose-Einstein condensates

The sonic analog of a gravitational black hole in dilute-gas Bose-Einstein condensates is investigated. It is shown that there exist both dynamically stable and unstable configurations which, in the hydrodynamic limit, exhibit behaviors completely analogous to that of gravitational black holes. The dynamical instabilities involve the creation of quasiparticle pairs in positive and negative energy states. We illustrate these features in two qualitatively different one-dimensional models, namely, a long, thin condensate with an outcoupler laser beam providing an ``atom sink,'' and a tight ring-shaped condensate. We also simulate the creation of a stable sonic black hole by solving the Gross-Pitaevskii equation numerically for a condensate subject to a trapping potential which is adiabatically deformed. A sonic black hole could, in this way, be created experimentally with state-of-the-art or planned technology.