Acceleration-induced transport of quantum vortices in joined atomtronic circuits

TL;DR

This paper explores how acceleration affects vortex transfer in joined atomic Bose-Einstein condensates, revealing potential for ultracold atom-based acceleration sensors through controlled vortex dynamics.

Contribution

It demonstrates the influence of acceleration on vortex transfer in coupled Bose-Einstein condensates and proposes a new ultracold double-ring accelerometer platform.

Findings

Acceleration biases vortex oscillations and transfer.

Dissipation suppresses vortex oscillations, enabling unilateral vortex transfer.

System parameters influence transfer efficiency and sensitivity.

Abstract

Persistent currents--inviscid quantized flow around an atomic circuit--are a crucial building block of atomtronic devices. We investigate how acceleration influences the transfer of persistent currents between two density-connected, ring-shaped atomic Bose-Einstein condensates, joined by a tunable weak link that controls system topology. We find that the acceleration of this system modifies both the density and phase dynamics between the rings, leading to a bias in the periodic vortex oscillations studied in T. Bland et al., Phys. Rev. Research 4, 043171 (2022). Accounting for dissipation suppressing such vortex oscillations, the acceleration facilitates a unilateral vortex transfer to the leading ring. We analyze how this transfer depends on the weak-link amplitude, the initial persistent current configuration, and the acceleration strength and direction. Characterization of the sensitivity to these parameters paves the way for a new platform for acceleration measurements, for which we outline a proof-of-concept ultracold double-ring accelerometer.