Oscillating superflow in multicomponent Bose-Einstein condensates

TL;DR

This paper explores superfluid oscillations in multicomponent Bose-Einstein condensates within asymmetric potentials, revealing sustained rotational direction oscillations driven by energy exchange between rotational and interaction energies.

Contribution

It demonstrates a novel superfluid flow phenomenon where oscillations occur despite broken rotational symmetry, highlighting energy dynamics in multicomponent condensates.

Findings

Sustained oscillations between rotation directions observed

Energy exchange between rotational and intra-component interactions

Oscillations occur despite broken rotational symmetry

Abstract

Conservation of angular momentum depends on the existence of rotational symmetry. However, even in systems where this symmetry is broken, flipping between angular momentum eigenstates often requires an activation energy. Here we discuss an example of superfluid flow in an azimuthally asymmetric toroidal potential, which shows sustained oscillations between two different rotation directions. The energy required to change the direction of rotation is taken out of and temporarily restored into the rotational and intra-component interaction energies of the system.