arXiv subjects

N. G. Parker

Publications and source records attributed to N. G. Parker.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Phase separation in binary Bose mixtures at finite temperature

We investigate the magnetic behavior of finite-temperature repulsive two-component Bose mixtures by means of exact path-integral Monte-Carlo simulations. Novel algorithms are implemented for the free energy and the chemical potential of the two components. Results on the magnetic susceptibility suggest that the conditions for phase separation are not modified from the zero temperature case. This contradicts previous predictions based on approximate theories. We also determine the temperature dependence of the chemical potential and the contact parameters for experimentally relevant balanced mixtures.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2023

Strong Quantum Turbulence in Bose Einstein Condensates

By combining experiments and numerical simulations which model the dynamics of shaken atomic Bose-Einstein condensates, we reveal the surprising nature of quantum turbulence in these systems. Unlike the tangles of vortex lines described in the superfluid helium literature, we find that our turbulent atomic condensate contains a mixture of strong fragmented density fluctuations and small random vortex loops which are not homogeneously distributed. This unusual form of turbulence, with its own properties and scaling behaviour, which we call strong quantum turbulence, is significantly different from the turbulence which is observed in either classical or other quantum systems, thus posing a new challenge in turbulence research.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2023

Types of quantum turbulence

We collect and describe the observed geometrical and dynamical properties of turbulence in quantum fluids, particularly superfluid helium and atomic condensates for which more information about turbulence is available. Considering the spectral features, the temporal decay, and the comparison with relevant turbulent classical flows, we identify three main limiting types of quantum turbulence: Kolmogorov quantum turbulence, Vinen quantum turbulence, and strong quantum turbulence. This classification will be useful to analyse and interpret new results in these and other quantum fluids.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Vortex Solutions in a Binary Immiscible Bose-Einstein Condensate

We consider the mean-field vortex solutions and their stability within a two-component Bose Einstein condensate in the immiscible limit. A variational approach is employed to study a system consisting of a majority component which contains a single quantised vortex and a minority component which fills the vortex core. We show that a super-Gaussian function is a good approximation to the two-component vortex solution for a range of atom numbers of the in-filling component, by comparing the variational solutions to the full numerical solutions of the coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations. We subsequently examine the stability of the vortex solutions by perturbing the in-filling component away from the centre of the vortex core, thereby demonstrating their stability to small perturbations.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2021

Mesoscale helicity distinguishes Vinen from Kolmogorov turbulence in helium II

Experiments and numerical simulations show that quantum turbulence exists in two distinct limiting regimes: Kolmogorov turbulence (which shares with classical turbulence the important property of a cascade of kinetic energy from large eddies to small eddies) and Vinen turbulence (which is more similar to a random flow). In this work, we define a mesoscale helicity for the superfluid, which, tested in numerical experiments, distinguishes the two turbulent regimes, quantifying the amount of nonlocal vortex interactions and the orientation of the vortex lines.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2020

Characterising arbitrary dark solitons in trapped one-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensates

We present a method to detect the presence and depth of dark solitons within repulsive one-dimensional harmonically trapped Bose-Einstein condensates. For a system with one soliton, we prove that the shift of the density in Fourier space directly maps onto the depth of the soliton. For multi-soliton systems, combining our spectral method with established imaging techniques, the character of the solitons present in the condensate can be determined. We verify that the detection of solitons by the spectral shift works in the presence of waves induced by density engineering methods. Finally we discuss implications for vortex detection in three dimensional Bose-Einstein condensates.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2020

Spin-up of a superfluid vortex lattice driven by rough boundaries

We study numerically the formation of a vortex lattice inside a rotating bucket containing superfluid helium, paying attention to an important feature which is practically unavoidable in all experiments: the microscopic roughness of the bucket's surface. We model this using the Gross-Pitaevskii for a weakly-interacting Bose gas, a model which is idealised when applied to superfluid helium but captures the key physics of the vortex dynamics which we are interested in. We find that the vortex lattice arises from the interaction and reconnections of nucleated U-shaped vortex lines, which merge and align along the axis of rotation. We quantify the effects which the surface roughness and remanent vortex lines play in this process.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2019

Instability of Rotationally Tuned Dipolar Bose-Einstein Condensates

The possibility of effectively inverting the sign of the dipole-dipole interaction, by fast rotation of the dipole polarization, is examined within a harmonically trapped dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate. Our analysis is based on the stationary states in the Thomas-Fermi limit, in the corotating frame, as well as direct numerical simulations in the Thomas-Fermi regime, explicitly accounting for the rotating polarization. The condensate is found to be inherently unstable due to the dynamical instability of collective modes. This ultimately prevents the realization of robust and long-lived rotationally tuned states. Our findings have major implications for experimentally accessing this regime.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Early warning signals in plant disease outbreaks

Summary 1. Infectious disease outbreaks in plants threaten ecosystems, agricultural crops and food trade. Currently, several fungal diseases are affecting forests worldwide, posing a major risk to tree species, habitats and consequently ecosystem decay. Prediction and control of disease spread are difficult, mainly due to the complexity of the interaction between individual components involved. 2. In this work, we introduce a lattice-based epidemic model coupled with a stochastic process that mimics, in a very simplified way, the interaction between the hosts and pathogen. We studied the disease spread by measuring the propagation velocity of the pathogen on the susceptible hosts. Quantitative results indicate the occurrence of a critical transition between two stable phases: local confinement and an extended epiphytotic outbreak that depends on the density of the susceptible individuals. 3. Quantitative predictions of epiphytotics are performed using the framework early-warning indicators for impending regime shifts, widely applied on dynamical systems. These signals forecast successfully the outcome of the critical shift between the two stable phases before the system enters the epiphytotic regime. 4. Synthesis: Our study demonstrates that early-warning indicators could be useful for the prediction of forest disease epidemics through mathematical and computational models suited to more specific pathogen-host-environmental interactions.

q-bio.PE↗

arXiv2018

Quantum ferrofluid turbulence

We study the elementary characteristics of turbulence in a quantum ferrofluid through the context of a dipolar Bose gas condensing from a highly non-equilibrium thermal state. Our simulations reveal that the dipolar interactions drive the emergence of polarized turbulence and density corrugations. The superfluid vortex lines and density fluctuations adopt a columnar or stratified configuration, depending on the sign of the dipolar interactions, with the vortices tending to form in the low density regions to minimize kinetic energy. When the interactions are dominantly dipolar, the decay of vortex line length is enhanced, closely following a $t^{-3/2}$ behaviour. This system poses exciting prospects for realizing stratified quantum turbulence and new levels of generating and controlling turbulence using magnetic fields.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2018

Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in an atomic superfluid

We demonstrate an experimentally feasible method for generating the classical Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in a single component atomic Bose-Einstein condensate. By progressively reducing a potential barrier between two counter-flowing channels we seed a line of quantised vortices, which precede to form progressively larger clusters, mimicking the classical roll-up behaviour of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. This cluster formation leads to an effective superfluid shear layer, formed through the collective motion of many quantised vortices. From this we demonstrate a straightforward method to measure the effective viscosity of a turbulent quantum fluid in a system with a moderate number of vortices, within the range of current experimental capabilities.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2017

Determination of Asphaltene Critical Nanoaggregate Concentration Region Using Ultrasound Velocity Measurements

Asphaltenes constitute the heaviest, most polar and aromatic fraction of petroleum crucial to the formation of highly-stable water- in-crude oil emulsions. The latter occur during crude oil production as well as spills and cause difficulties to efficient remediation practice. It is thought that in nanoaggregate form, asphaltenes create elastic layers around water droplets enhancing stability of the emulsion matrix. Ultrasonic characterisation is a high-resolution non-invasive tool in colloidal analysis shown to successfully identify asphaltene nanoaggregation in toluene. The high sensitivity of acoustic velocity to molecular rearrangements and ease in implementation renders it an attractive method to study asphaltene phase properties. Currently, aggregation is thought to correspond to an intersection of two concentration-ultrasonic velocity regressions. Our measurements indicate a variation in the proximity of nanoaggregation which is not accounted for by present models. We attribute this uncertainty to physico-chemical heterogeneity of the asphaltene fraction driven by variation in molecular size and propose a critical nanoaggregation region. We treated asphaltenes from North and South American crude oils with ruthenium ion catalysed oxidation to characterise their n-alkyl appendages attached to aromatic cores. Principal component analysis was performed to investigate the coupling between asphaltene structures and velocity measurements and their impact on aggregation.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Dynamics of single human embryonic stem cells and their pairs: a quantitative analysis

Numerous biological approaches are available to characterise the mechanisms which govern the formation of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) colonies. To understand how the kinematics of single and pairs of hESCs impact colony formation, we study their mobility characteristics using time-lapse imaging. We perform a detailed statistical analysis of their speed, survival, directionality, distance travelled and diffusivity. We confirm that single and pairs of cells migrate as a diffusive random walk. Moreover, we show that the presence of Cell Tracer significantly reduces hESC mobility. Our results open the path to employ the theoretical framework of the diffusive random walk for the prognostic modelling and optimisation of the growth of hESC colonies. Indeed, we employ this random walk model to estimate the seeding density required to minimise the occurrence of hESC colonies arising from more than one founder cell and the minimal cell number needed for successful colony formation. We believe that our prognostic model can be extended to investigate the kinematic behaviour of somatic cells emerging from hESC differentiation and to enable its wide application in phenotyping of pluripotent stem cells for large scale stem cell culture expansion and differentiation platforms.

q-bio.QM↗

arXiv2017

A superfluid boundary layer

We model the superfluid flow of liquid helium over the rough surface of a wire (used to experimentally generate turbulence) profiled by atomic force microscopy. Numerical simulations of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation reveal that the sharpest features in the surface induce vortex nucleation both intrinsically (due to the raised local fluid velocity) and extrinsically (providing pinning sites to vortex lines aligned with the flow). Vortex interactions and reconnections contribute to form a dense turbulent layer of vortices with a non-classical average velocity profile which continually sheds small vortex rings into the bulk. We characterise this layer for various imposed flows. As boundary layers conventionally arise from viscous forces, this result opens up new insight into the nature of superflows.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2017

Engineering Bright Matter-Wave Solitons of Dipolar Condensates

We present a comprehensive analysis of the form and interaction of dipolar bright solitons across the full parameter space afforded by dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates, revealing the rich behaviour introduced by the non-local nonlinearity. Working within an effective one-dimensional description, we map out the existence of the soliton solutions and show three collisional regimes: free collisions, bound state formation and soliton fusion. Finally, we examine the solitons in their full three-dimensional form through a variational approach; along with regimes of instability to collapse and runaway expansion, we identify regimes of stability which are accessible to current experiments.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

Vortices and vortex lattices in quantum ferrofluids

The experimental realization of quantum-degenerate Bose gases made of atoms with sizeable magnetic dipole moments has created a new type of fluid, known as a quantum ferrofluid, which combines the extraordinary properties of superfluidity and ferrofluidity. A hallmark of superfluids is that they are constrained to rotate through vortices with quantized circulation. In quantum ferrofluids the long-range dipolar interactions add new ingredients by inducing magnetostriction and instabilities, and also affect the structural properties of vortices and vortex lattices. Here we give a review of the theory of vortices in dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates, exploring the interplay of magnetism with vorticity and contrasting this with the established behaviour in non-dipolar condensates. We cover single vortex solutions, including structure, energy and stability, vortex pairs, including interactions and dynamics, and also vortex lattices. Our discussion is founded on the mean-field theory provided by the dipolar Gross-Pitaevskii equation, ranging from analytic treatments based on the Thomas-Fermi (hydrodynamic) and variational approaches to full numerical simulations. Routes for generating vortices in dipolar condensates are discussed, with particular attention paid to rotating condensates, where surface instabilities drive the nucleation of vortices, and lead to the emergence of rich and varied vortex lattice structures. We also present an outlook, including potential extensions to degenerate Fermi gases, quantum Hall physics, toroidal systems and the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

MI-Sim: A MATLAB Package for the Numerical Analysis of Microbial Ecological Interactions

Food-webs and other classes of ecological network motifs, are a means of describing feeding relationships between consumers and producers in an ecosystem. They have application across scales where they differ only in the underlying characteristics of the organisms and substrates describing the system. Mathematical modelling, using mechanistic approaches to describe the dynamic behaviour and properties of the system through sets of ordinary differential equations, has been used extensively in ecology. Models allow simulation of the dynamics of the various motifs and their numerical analysis provides a greater understanding of the interplay between the system components and their intrinsic properties. We have developed the MI-Sim software for use with MATLAB to allow a rigorous and rapid numerical analysis of several common ecological motifs. MI-Sim contains a series of the most commonly used motifs such as cooperation, competition and predation. It does not require detailed knowledge of mathematical analytical techniques and is offered as a single graphical user interface containing all input and output options. The tools available in the current version of MI-Sim include model simulation, steady- state existence and stability analysis, and basin of attraction analysis. The software includes seven ecological interaction motifs and seven growth function models. Unlike other system analysis tools, MI-Sim is designed as a simple and user-friendly tool specific to ecological population type models, allowing for rapid assessment of their dynamical and behavioural properties.

q-bio.QM↗

arXiv2016

Anomalous oscillations of dark solitons in trapped dipolar condensates

Thanks to their immense purity and controllability, dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates are an exemplar for studying fundamental non-local nonlinear physics. Here we show that a family of fundamental nonlinear waves - the dark solitons - are supported in trapped quasi-one-dimensional dipolar condensates and within reach of current experiments. Remarkably, the oscillation frequency of the soliton is strongly dependent on the atomic interactions, in stark contrast to the non-dipolar case. The failure of a particle analogy, so successful for dark solitons in general, to account for this behaviour implies that these structures are inherently extended and non-particle-like. These highly-sensitive waves may act as mesoscopic probes of the underlying quantum matter field.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗