Energetically stable particle-like Skyrmions in a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates through numerical simulations that stable 3D Skyrmions can exist in trapped two-component Bose-Einstein condensates, with stability achieved via atomic conservation, rotation, or laser potentials.

Contribution

It introduces the first numerical evidence of energetically stable 3D Skyrmions in BECs under realistic experimental conditions.

Findings

Stable Skyrmions are achievable in Rb-87 BECs.

Conservation of atomic species prevents Skyrmion collapse.

Rotation or laser potentials can counteract drift caused by trapping.

Abstract

We numerically show that a topologically nontrivial 3D Skyrmion can be energetically stable in a trapped two-component atomic Bose-Einstein condensate, for the parameters of Rb-87 condensate experiments. The separate conservation of the two atomic species can stabilize the Skyrmion against shrinking to zero size, while drift of the Skyrmion due to the trap-induced density gradient can be prevented by rotation or by a laser potential.