Temperature Dependence of Vortex Nucleation in Gaseous Bose-Einstein Condensates

TL;DR

This paper investigates how temperature influences the formation of quantized vortices in gaseous Bose-Einstein condensates, emphasizing surface excitations and finite-temperature effects on vortex nucleation thresholds.

Contribution

It demonstrates that critical angular frequencies for surface mode excitation determine vortex nucleation thresholds at finite temperatures, aligning with recent experimental findings.

Findings

Critical angular frequencies match experimental vortex nucleation thresholds.

Finite-temperature effects influence vortex nucleation process.

Surface excitations are key to vortex penetration in BECs.

Abstract

The formation of quantized vortices in trapped, gaseous Bose-Einstein condensates is considered. The thermodynamic stability of vortex states and the essential role of the surface excitations as a route for vortex penetration into the condensate are discussed. Special focus is on finite-temperature effects of the vortex nucleation process. It is concluded that the critical angular frequencies for exciting surface modes with the relevant multipolarities yield, also at finite temperatures, the appropriate thresholds for the nucleation of vortices in dilute Bose-Einstein condensates, in fair agreement with the recent experiments.