Work

Symmetry Breaking in Interacting Ring-Shaped Superflows of Bose–Einstein Condensates

Year: 2019

Type: article

Abstract: We demonstrate that the evolution of superflows in interacting persistent currents of ultracold gases is strongly affected by symmetry breaking of the quantum vortex dynamics. We study counter-propagating superflows in a system of two parallel rings in regimes of weak (a Josephson junction with tunneling through the barrier) and strong (rings merging across a reduced barrier) interactions. For the weakly interacting toroidal Bose–Einstein condensates, formation of rotational fluxons (Josephson vortices) is associated with spontaneous breaking of the rotational symmetry of the tunneling superflows. The influence of a controllable symmetry breaking on the final state of the merging counter-propagating superflows is investigated in the framework of a weakly dissipative mean-field model. It is demonstrated that the population imbalance between the merging flows and the breaking of the underlying rotational symmetry can drive the double-ring system to final states with different angular momenta.

Source: Symmetry

DOI: 10.3390/sym11101312

Authors: Artem Oliinyk, Igor Yatsuta, Boris Malomed, Alexander Yakimenko

Institutions: Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Tel Aviv University

Language: English

Topic: Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,418

Funder: Israel Science Foundation