Quantum turbulence in atomic Bose-Einstein condensates

TL;DR

This paper reviews how atomic Bose-Einstein condensates serve as a controllable platform for studying quantum turbulence, covering its generation, steady state, decay, and key open questions.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of quantum turbulence in BECs, emphasizing recent experimental and theoretical advances and highlighting fundamental challenges.

Findings

Identification of turbulence regimes in BECs

Insights into turbulence generation and decay processes

Recent experimental and theoretical results on quantum turbulence

Abstract

Weakly interacting, dilute atomic Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) have proved to be an attractive context for the study of nonlinear dynamics and quantum effects at the macroscopic scale. Recently, atomic BECs have been used to investigate quantum turbulence both experimentally and theoretically, stimulated largely by the high degree of control which is available within these quantum gases. In this article we motivate the use of atomic BECs for the study of turbulence, discuss the characteristic regimes of turbulence which are accessible, and briefly review some selected investigations of quantum turbulence and recent results. We focus on three stages of turbulence - the generation of turbulence, its steady state and its decay - and highlight some fundamental questions regarding our understanding in each of these regimes.