arXiv subjects

Fabian Maucher

Publications and source records attributed to Fabian Maucher.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Untangling knots via reaction-diffusion dynamics of vortex strings

We introduce and illustrate a new approach to the unknotting problem via the dynamics of vortex strings in a nonlinear partial differential equation of reaction-diffusion type. To untangle a given knot, a Biot-Savart construction is used to initialize the knot as a vortex string in the FitzHugh-Nagumo equation. Remarkably, we find that the subsequent evolution preserves the topology of the knot and can untangle an unknot into a circle. Illustrative test case examples are presented, including the untangling of a hard unknot known as the culprit. Our approach to the unknotting problem has two novel features, in that it applies field theory rather than particle mechanics and uses reaction-diffusion dynamics in place of energy minimization.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2013

Elementary excitations of ultracold soft-core bosons across the superfluid-supersolid phase transition

We investigate the zero-temperature excitation spectrum of two-dimensional soft-core bosons for a wide range parameters and across the phase transition from a superfluid to a supersolid state. Based on mean field calculations and recent Quantum Monte Carlo results, we demonstrate the applicability of the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations, even at high interaction strengths where the system forms an insulating cluster crystal. Interestingly, our study reveals that the maximum energy of the longitudinal phonon band in the supersolid phase connects to the maxon energy of the superfluid at the phase transition.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2010

Azimuthons in weakly nonlinear waveguides of different symmetries

We show that weakly guiding nonlinear waveguides support stable propagation of rotating spatial solitons (azimuthons). We investigate the role of waveguide symmetry on the soliton rotation. We find that azimuthons in circular waveguides always rotate rigidly during propagation and the analytically predicted rotation frequency is in excellent agreement with numerical simulations. On the other hand, azimuthons in square waveguides may experience spatial deformation during propagation. Moreover, we show that there is a critical value for the modulation depth of azimuthons above which solitons just wobble back and forth, and below which they rotate continuously. We explain these dynamics using the concept of energy difference between different orientations of the azimuthon.

nlin.PS↗