Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026
11:03
An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Dynamical evolution of a doubly quantized vortex imprinted in a Bose-Einstein condensate.
1Departamento de Física Fundamental II, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain. ammateo@ull.es
Physical Review Letters
|December 13, 2006
Summary
Vortex decay in superfluids is primarily driven by dynamical instability, not just initial perturbations. Local splitting times reveal consistent decay across condensates, clarifying vortex lifetime measurements.
Area of Science:
- * Quantum fluid dynamics
- * Bose-Einstein condensates
- * Vortex dynamics
Background:
- * Shin et al. experimentally studied doubly quantized vortex decay.
- * Previous analyses lacked detailed dynamical insights.
- * Understanding vortex decay is crucial for quantum turbulence and superfluid applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To analyze the decay of a doubly quantized vortex.
- * To elucidate the primary mechanisms driving vortex decay.
- * To explain the observed monotonic increase in vortex lifetimes.
Main Methods:
- * Numerical solution of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation.
- * Simulation of vortex decay dynamics.
- * Analysis of perturbation propagation and vortex splitting.
Main Results:
- * Vortex decay is predominantly caused by dynamical instability.
- * The apparent increase in vortex lifetimes is due to perturbation travel time.
- * Local vortex splitting occurs consistently across the condensate.
Conclusions:
- * Dynamical instability is the key factor in doubly quantized vortex decay.
- * Vortex lifetime measurements require careful consideration of perturbation dynamics.
- * Localized analysis provides a clearer understanding of condensate behavior.
Related Concept Videos
02:45The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom
Shortly after de Broglie published his ideas that the electron in a hydrogen atom could be better thought of as being a circular standing wave instead of a particle moving in quantized circular orbits, Erwin Schrödinger extended de Broglie’s work by deriving what is now known as the Schrödinger equation. When Schrödinger applied his equation to hydrogen-like atoms, he was able to reproduce Bohr’s expression for the energy and, thus, the Rydberg formula governing hydrogen spectra. Schrödinger...
02:32The de Broglie Wavelength
In the macroscopic world, objects that are large enough to be seen by the naked eye follow the rules of classical physics. A billiard ball moving on a table will behave like a particle; it will continue traveling in a straight line unless it collides with another ball, or it is acted on by some other force, such as friction. The ball has a well-defined position and velocity or well-defined momentum, p = mv, which is defined by mass m and velocity v at any given moment. This is the typical...
01:04Oscillations about an Equilibrium Position
Stability is an important concept in oscillation. If an equilibrium point is stable, a slight disturbance of an object that is initially at the stable equilibrium point will cause the object to oscillate around that point. For an unstable equilibrium point, if the object is disturbed slightly, it will not return to the equilibrium point. There are three conditions for equilibrium points—stable, unstable, and half-stable. A half-stable equilibrium point is also unstable, but is named so because...
01:25Divergence and Curl of Electric Field
The divergence of a vector is a measure of how much the vector spreads out (diverges) from a point. For example, an electric field vector diverges from the positive charge and converges at the negative charge. The divergence of an electric field is derived using Gauss's law and is equal to the charge density divided by the permittivity of space. Mathematically, it is expressed as
01:28Standing Waves in a Cavity
A household microwave and lasers are examples of standing electromagnetic waves in a cavity. When two conducting metal plates are placed parallel at the nodal planes, it creates a cavity where standing waves are formed. The cavity between the two planes is analogous to a stretched string held at the points x = 0 and x = L. Here, the distance 'L' between the two planes must be an integer multiple of half of the wavelength. The wavelengths that satisfy this condition are given by:
01:26Divergence and Curl of Magnetic Field
The magnetic field due to a volume current distribution given by the Biot–Savart Law can be expressed as follows: