Creation and robustness of quantized vortices in a dipolar supersolid when crossing the superfluid-to-supersolid transition

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel method to nucleate and observe quantized vortices in dipolar supersolids by quenching across the superfluid-to-supersolid transition, overcoming previous detection challenges.

Contribution

It introduces a new approach to generate and detect vortices in dipolar supersolids through controlled quenching of interactions.

Findings

Vortex nucleation occurs during the transition due to reduced critical angular velocity.

Vortices are robustly preserved when returning to the superfluid phase.

The method enables direct observation of vortices in dipolar supersolids.

Abstract

Experiments on dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates have recently reported the observation of supersolidity. Although quantized vortices constitute a key probe of superfluidity, their observability in dipolar supersolids is largely prevented by the strong density depletion caused by the formation of droplets. We present a novel approach to the nucleation of vortices and their observation, based on the quenching of the s-wave scattering length across the superfluid-supersolid transition. Starting from a slowly rotating, vortex-free, configuration in the superfluid phase, we predict vortex nucleation as the system enters the supersolid phase, due to the strong reduction of the critical angular velocity in the supersolid. Once a vortex is created, we show that it is robustly preserved when the condensate is brought back to the superfluid phase, where it may be readily observed.