Synthetic half-integer magnetic monopole and single-vortex dynamics in spherical Bose-Einstein condensates

TL;DR

This paper proposes a method to simulate a half-integer magnetic monopole in Bose-Einstein condensates, analyzes vortex dynamics on a sphere, and confirms predictions through numerical simulations, advancing experimental and theoretical understanding.

Contribution

It introduces a flexible scheme to simulate monopoles in Bose gases, predicts vortex trajectories analytically, and validates results with numerical solutions of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation.

Findings

Analytical prediction of vortex trajectories in magnetic fields.

Numerical confirmation using the Wu-Yang gauge approach.

Feasible experimental parameter settings for different isotopes.

Abstract

Magnetic monopoles are crucial in explaining the quantization of electric charges and quantum Hall effects, while artificially creating a minimal magnetic monopole in experiments remains a challenge. Here, we come up with a flexible way to simulate a half-integer-type monopole in Bose gases and investigate the induced vortex dynamics on a sphere. We list the possible experiment parameter settings for different isotopes and discuss their experimental feasibility. With the assumption of a rigid monopole-vortex structure, we analytically predict the vortex trajectory in an external magnetic field. We then confirm the result by numerically solving the Gross-Pitaevskii equation, which employs two gauges simultaneously (the Wu-Yang approach) to prevent singularity in the one-gauge method when a monopole is present. The study offers significant insight into the characteristics of monopoles and vortices, facilitating avenues for experimental validation.