Quantum turbulence in trapped atomic Bose-Einstein condensates

TL;DR

This paper reviews the recent theoretical and experimental progress in understanding quantum turbulence in ultracold atomic Bose-Einstein condensates, highlighting vortices, their dynamics, and challenges in characterizing turbulence.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of quantum turbulence in BECs, emphasizing recent advances and future research directions in the field.

Findings

Identification of vortex dynamics in BECs

Comparison of quantum turbulence with classical turbulence

Discussion of experimental challenges in characterizing turbulence

Abstract

Turbulence, the complicated fluid behavior of nonlinear and statistical nature, arises in many physical systems across various disciplines, from tiny laboratory scales to geophysical and astrophysical ones. The notion of turbulence in the quantum world was conceived long ago by Onsager and Feynman, but the occurrence of turbulence in ultracold gases has been studied in the laboratory only very recently. Albeit new as a field, it already offers new paths and perspectives on the problem of turbulence. Herein we review the general properties of quantum gases at ultralow temperatures paying particular attention to vortices, their dynamics and turbulent behavior. We review the recent advances both from theory and experiment. We highlight, moreover, the difficulties of identifying and characterizing turbulence in gaseous Bose-Einstein condensates compared to ordinary turbulence and turbulence in superfluid liquid helium and spotlight future possible directions.