Splitting dynamics of giant vortices in dilute Bose-Einstein condensates

TL;DR

This paper investigates how large, multiply quantized vortices in dilute Bose-Einstein condensates split into fragments, revealing a connection between the splitting process and specific excitation modes, which aids in understanding vortex dynamics.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the splitting mechanism of giant vortices and links the number of resulting fragments to the angular momentum of specific excitation modes.

Findings

Splitting results in vortex-free fragments separated by vortex sheets.

Number of fragments equals the angular momentum quantum number of the excitation mode.

Splitting cannot be fully described by small-amplitude excitations.

Abstract

We study the splitting of multiply quantized vortices with large quantum numbers in dilute nonrotated Bose-Einstein condensates in the zero-temperature limit. The splitting is observed to result in vortex-free condensate fragments which are separated by vortex sheets. The number of these fragments is found to be equal to the angular-momentum quantum number of the Bogoliubov excitation mode responsible for the splitting, although the formulation of the fragments cannot be described by small-amplitude excitations. Thus, the realization of an isolated giant vortex and the observation of its splitting would provide a means to directly relate the experimental data to discrete theoretical quantities.