arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Natalia G. Berloff.
We discuss the dynamics of interacting dark-bright two-dimensional vector solitons in multicomponent immiscible bulk Bose-Einstein condensates. We describe matter-wave molecules without a scalar counterpart that can be seen as bound states of vector objects. We also analyze the possibility of using these structures as building blocks for the design of matter-wave switchers.
The first successful macroscopic theory for the motion of superfluid helium was that of Lev Landau (1941) in which the fluid is modelled phenomenologically as an interpenetrating mixture of a superfluid and a normal fluid. It has later been shown that Landau's two-fluid model can be rigorously derived from a one-fluid model within the classical fields approximation. Assuming a separation of scales exists between the slowly varying, large-scale, background (condensate) field, and the short rapidly evolving excitations, a full description of the kinetics between the condensate and the thermal cloud can be obtained. The kinetics describes three-wave and four-wave interactions that resemble the C_{12} and C_{22} terms, respectively, in the collision integral of the ZNG theory. The scale separation assumption precludes analysis of the healing layer and thus does not include the dynamics of quantised vortices. Whilst the analysis required the use of small parameters arising from the scale separation assumption and the assumption of a weakly depleted condensate, we expect the results to hold true over a wider range of parameters. This belief is motivated by the validity of Landau's two-fluid model which can be derived from a one-fluid model using nothing more than Galilean invariance principles. Indeed, we argue that similar arguments can be used to recover a two-fluid model directly from a classical field simply by invoking a local gauge transformation. This derivation does not require any small parameters to be introduced suggesting that the results that lead to the kinetic equations may turn out to be more general.
Nonequilibrium condensate systems such as exciton-polariton condensates are capable of supporting a spontaneous vortex nucleation. The spatial inhomogeneity of pumping field or/and disordered potential creates velocity flow fields that may become unstable to vortex formation. This letter considers ways in which turbulent states of interacting vortices can be created. It is shown that by combining just two pumping intensities it is possible to create a superfluid turbulence state of well-separated vortices, a strong turbulence state of de-structured vortices, or a weak turbulence state in which all coherence of the field is lost and motion is driven by weakly interacting dispersive waves. The decay of turbulence can be obtained by replacing an inhomogeneous pumping by a uniform one. We show that both in quasi-equilibrium and during the turbulence decay there exists an inertial range dominated by four-wave interactions of acoustic waves.
We propose a simple way to manage interactions in Bose-Einstein condensates to generate vortex rings in a highly controllable way. The vortex rings are generated under the action of a quantum analogue of a classical piston pushing the condensed atoms through a small aperture.
We discuss the dynamics of interacting atomic bright solitons and dark bubbles in bulk immiscible Bose-Einstein condensates. Coherent matter-wave clusters can be constructed using dark-bright pairs with appropriate phases. In two dimensions we describe novel types of matter-wave molecules without a scalar counterpart that can be seen as bound states of vector objects.
Quasiparticles in semiconductors -- such as microcavity polaritons -- can form condensates in which the steady-state density profile is set by the balance of pumping and decay. By taking account of the polarization degree of freedom for a polariton condensate, and considering the effects of an applied magnetic field, we theoretically discuss the interplay between polarization dynamics, and the spatial structure of the pumped decaying condensate. If spatial structure is neglected, this dynamics has attractors that are linearly polarized condensates (fixed points), and desynchronized solutions (limit cycles), with a range of bistability. Considering spatial fluctuations about the fixed point, the collective spin modes can either be diffusive, linearly dispersing, or gapped. Including spatial structure, interactions between the spin components can influence the dynamics of vortices; produce stable complexes of vortices and rarefaction pulses with both co- and counter-rotating polarizations; and increase the range of possible limit cycles for the polarization dynamics, with different attractors displaying different spatial structures.
The dynamics of quantum vortices in a two-dimensional annular condensate are considered by numerically simulating the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. Families of solitary wave sequences are reported, both without and with a persistent flow, for various values of interaction strength. It is shown that in the toroidal geometry the dispersion curve of solutions is much richer than in the cases of a semi-infinite channel or uniform condensate studied previously. In particular, the toroidal condensate is found to have states of single vortices at the same position and circulation that move with different velocities. The stability of the solitary wave sequences for the annular condensate without a persistent flow are also investigated by numerically evolving the solutions in time. In addition, the interaction of vortex-vortex pairs and vortex-antivortex pairs is considered and it is demonstrated that the collisions are either elastic or inelastic depending on the magnitude of the angular velocity. The similarities and differences between numerically simulating the Gross-Pitaevskii equation and using a point vortex model for these collisions are elucidated.
Injection and decay of particles in an inhomogeneous quantum condensate can significantly change its behaviour. We model trapped, pumped, decaying condensates by a complex Gross-Pitaevskii equation and analyse the density and currents in the steady state. With homogeneous pumping, rotationally symmetric solutions are unstable. Stability may be restored by a finite pumping spot. However if the pumping spot is larger than the Thomas-Fermi cloud radius, then rotationally symmetric solutions are replaced by solutions with spontaneous arrays of vortices. These vortex arrays arise without any rotation of the trap, spontaneously breaking rotational symmetry.
We study the formation of large-scale coherent structures (a condensate) for a system of two weakly interacting classical waves. Using the coupled defocusing nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equations as a representative model, we focus on condensation in the phase mixing regime. We employ weak turbulence theory to provide a complete thermodynamic description of the classical condensation process. We show that the temperature and the condensate mass fractions are fully determined by the total number of particles in each component and the initial total energy. Moreover, we find that, at higher energies, condensation can occur in only one component. The theory presented provides excellent agreement with results of numerical simulations obtained by directly integrating the dynamical model.
Vortices and axisymmetric vortex rings are considered in the framework of the subcritical nonlinear Schrodinger equations. The higher order nonlinearity present in such systems models many-body interactions in superfluid systems and allows one to study the effects of negative pressure on vortex dynamics. We find the critical pressure for which the straight-line vortex becomes unstable to radial expansion of the core. The energy of the straight-line vortices and energy, impulse and velocity of vortex rings are calculated. The effect of a varying pressure on the vortex core is studied. It is shown that under the action of the periodically varying pressure field a vortex ring may split into many vortex rings and the conditions for which this happens are elucidated. These processes are also relevant to experiments in Bose-Einstein condensates where the strength and the sign of two-body interactions can be changed via Feshbach resonance.
We consider the evolution and dissipation of vortex rings in a condensate at non-zero temperature, in the context of the classical field approximation, based on the defocusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The temperature in such a system is fully determined by the total number density and the number density of the condensate. A vortex ring is introduced into a condensate in a state of thermal equilibrium, and interacts with non-condensed particles. These interactions lead to a gradual decrease in the vortex line density, until the vortex ring completely disappears. We show that the square of the vortex line length changes linearly with time, and obtain the corresponding universal decay law. We relate this to mutual friction coefficients in the fundamental equation of vortex motion in superfluids.
We consider the motion of a vortex in an asymptotically homogeneous condensate bounded by a solid wall where the wave function of the condensate vanishes. For a vortex parallel to the wall, the motion is essentially equivalent to that generated by an image vortex, but the depleted surface layer induces an effective shift in the position of the image compared to the case of a vortex pair in an otherwise uniform flow. Specifically, the velocity of the vortex can be approximated by $U \approx (\hbar/2m)(y_0-\sqrt 2 ξ)^{-1}$, where $y_0$ is the distance from the center of the vortex to the wall, $ξ$ is the healing length of the condensate and $m$ is the mass of the boson.
Two-component mixtures of Bose-Einstein condensates are shown to support solitary wave complexes that move with a constant velocity preserving their form. I obtain the families of such solitary wave complexes in two-dimensional two-component mixture condensates. These solutions are classified according to the structure of the wavefunction in each component. I show that these complexes nucleate from the surface of the disk when it moves supercritically, therefore, suggesting a mechanism by which these waves can be obtained in condensates by a moving laser beam. The condition for such a nucleation is derived analytically. The flow for supercritical disk velocities is computed numerically. The process of a boundary layer separation with emission of either vortex pairs in each component or a vortex pair in one component and a ``slaved wave'' in the other component is elucidated.
Axisymmetric three-dimensional solitary waves in uniform two-component mixture Bose-Einstein condensates are obtained as solutions of the coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations with equal intracomponent but varying intercomponent interaction strengths. Several families of solitary wave complexes are found: (1) vortex rings of various radii in each of the components, (2) a vortex ring in one component coupled to a rarefaction solitary wave of the other component, (3) two coupled rarefaction waves, (4) either a vortex ring or a rarefaction pulse coupled to a localised disturbance of a very low momentum. The continuous families of such waves are shown in the momentum-energy plane for various values of the interaction strengths and the relative differences between the chemical potentials of two components. Solitary wave formation, their stability and solitary wave complexes in two-dimensions are discussed.
Axisymmetric disturbances that preserve their form as they move along the vortex lines in uniform Bose-Einstein condensates are obtained numerically by the solution of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. A continuous family of such solitary waves is shown in the momentum ($p$) -- substitution energy ($\hat{\cal E}$) plane with $p\to 0.09 ρκ^3/c^2, \hat{\cal E}\to 0.091 ρκ^3/c$ as $U \to c$, where $ρ$ is the density, $c$ is the speed of sound, $κ$ is the quantum of circulation and $U$ is the solitary wave velocity. It is shown that collapse of a bubble captured by a vortex line leads to the generation of such solitary waves in condensates. The various stages of collapse are elucidated. In particularly, it is shown that during collapse the vortex core becomes significantly compressed and after collapse two solitary wave trains moving in opposite directions are formed on the vortex line.
The stability of the axisymmetric solitary waves of the Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation is investigated. The Implicitly Restarted Arnoldi Method for banded matrices with shift-invert was used to solve the linearised spectral stability problem. The rarefaction solitary waves on the upper branch of the Jones-Roberts dispersion curve are shown to be unstable to axisymmetric infinitesimal perturbations, whereas the solitary waves on the lower branch and all two-dimensional solitary waves are linearly stable. The growth rates of the instabilities on the upper branch are so small that an arbitrarily specified initial perturbation of a rarefaction wave at first usually evolves towards the upper branch as it acoustically radiates away its excess energy. This is demonstrated through numerical integrations of the GP equation starting from an initial state consisting of an unstable rarefaction wave and random non-axisymmetric noise. The resulting solution evolves towards, and remains for a significant time in the vicinity of, an unperturbed unstable rarefaction wave. It is shown however that, ultimately (or for an initial state extremely close to the upper branch), the solution evolves onto the lower branch or is completely dissipated as sound.
There are several ways to create the vorticity-free solitary waves -- rarefaction pulses -- in condensates: by the process of strongly nonequilibrium condensate formation in a weakly interacting Bose gas, by creating local depletion of the condensate density by a laser beam, and by moving a small object with supercritical velocities. Perturbations created by such waves colliding with vortices are studied in the context of the Gross-Pitaevskii model. We find that the effect of the interactions consists of two competing mechanisms: the creation of vortex line as rarefaction waves acquire circulation in a vicinity of a vortex core and the loss of the vortex line to sound due to Kelvin waves that are generated on vortex lines by rarefaction pulses. When a vortex ring collides with a rarefaction wave, the ring either stabilises to a smaller ring after emitting sound through Kelvin wave radiation or the entire energy of the vortex ring is lost to sound if the radius of the ring is of the order of the healing length. We show that during the time evolution of a tangle of vortices, the interactions with rarefaction pulses provide an important dissipation mechanism enhancing the decay of superfluid turbulence.
The nucleation of vortex rings accompanies the collapse of ultrasound bubbles in superfluids. Using the Gross-Pitaevskii equation for a uniform condensate we elucidate the various stages of the collapse of a stationary spherically symmetric bubble and establish conditions necessary for vortex nucleation. The minimum radius of the stationary bubble, whose collapse leads to vortex nucleation, was found to be about 28 healing lengths. The time after which the nucleation becomes possible is determined as a function of bubble's radius. We show that vortex nucleation takes place in moving bubbles of even smaller radius if the motion made them sufficiently oblate.