Transition of vortex dipole dynamics in holographic superfluids

TL;DR

This paper uses holographic duality to identify a vortex dipole dynamic transition in strongly interacting superfluids, characterized by vortex reconnection and a shift in dissipation mechanisms, relevant across temperature ranges.

Contribution

It uncovers a topological vortex reconnection process causing a transition in vortex dynamics and dissipation in holographic superfluids, extending understanding of superfluid behavior.

Findings

Vortex reconnection triggers a transition in vortex dipole dynamics.

Post-transition, dissipation is governed by bulk -pipe contraction.

The reconnection persists over a broad temperature range.

Abstract

Using holographic duality, we reveal a transition in vortex dipole dynamics below a critical dipole size in strongly interacting superfluids, characterized by a significant suppression of mutual friction. In the bulk, this transition is triggered by a topological reconnection of vortex tubes, which disconnects the boundary vortices from the black hole horizon and forms a \textit{U-pipe}. Consequently, the post-transition evolution is governed by the contraction of the bulk \textit{U-pipe} rather than the mutual friction associated with the horizon, revealing a scale-dependent dissipation mechanism. We further show that this reconnection persists over a broad temperature range, even when the transition becomes unobservable at high temperatures. Our results provide a dissipation-based interpretation for the anomalous critical dipole scale observed in strongly interacting cold-atom experiments, and suggest the existence of distinct dissipative regimes in strongly interacting superfluids.