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Vortex mass in a superfluid at low frequencies
1Department of Physics, Box 351560, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|October 13, 2007
Summary
Calculating vortex inertial mass by circular motion in a pinning potential yields a formula consistent with prior work. However, the mass value is not unique and depends on the applied force field.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Superfluidity and Vortex Dynamics
Background:
- Vortex inertial mass is crucial for understanding superfluid dynamics.
- Previous calculations of vortex mass have yielded complex or non-unique results.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a method for calculating vortex inertial mass using a revolving pinning potential.
- To investigate the dependence of vortex mass on the applied force field and pinning potential characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Driving a vortex in a circle with a steadily revolving pinning potential.
- Applying the method to the Gross-Pitaevskii model to derive a vortex mass formula.
- Analyzing both long-range and short-range properties of the vortex solution.
Main Results:
- The low-frequency limit yields a formula consistent with Baym and Chandler.
- Vortex mass is not unique and depends on the force field used for acceleration.
- Nonzero compressibility leads to a divergent vortex mass.
- Short-range behavior shows mass sensitivity to pinning potential form, diverging logarithmically as potential radius approaches zero.
Conclusions:
- The proposed method provides a new approach to calculating vortex inertial mass.
- Vortex mass is intricately linked to both system compressibility and pinning potential details.
- Understanding these dependencies is key for accurate modeling of superfluid systems.
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