Vortex Stability Near the Surface of a Bose-Einstein Condensate

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the energetic stability of vortices near the surface of a Bose-Einstein condensate, calculating the critical rotation frequency for vortex entry and comparing it with experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces a surface-localized energy functional and a trial wavefunction to determine vortex stability and critical rotation frequency.

Findings

Calculated critical rotation frequency for vortex entry

Good agreement with experimental measurements

Provided a theoretical framework for vortex stability near the surface

Abstract

We investigate energetic stability of vortices near the surface of a Bose-Einstein condensate. From an energy functional of a rotating Bose-Einstein condensate, written in terms of variables local to the surface, and a suitable trial wavefunction we calculate the energy of a moving vortex. The energetic stability of the vortex is investigated in terms of the rotation frequency of the confining potential. The critical frequency at which the vortices enter the condensate is calculated and compared with the experiment where a reasonable agreement is obtained.