Vortices in Bose-Einstein Condensates: Some Recent Developments

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent theoretical and experimental advances in understanding vortices in Bose-Einstein condensates, including their generation, stability, interactions, and formation of vortex lattices.

Contribution

It summarizes new methods for vortex creation, stability analysis under various traps, vortex interactions, and the emergence of vortex patterns in two-component condensates.

Findings

Vortices can be generated via phase imprinting and dynamical instabilities.

Vortex stability depends on the trapping configurations.

Stable vortex lattices and dipole clusters have been observed.

Abstract

In this brief review we summarize a number of recent developments in the study of vortices in Bose-Einstein condensates, a topic of considerable theoretical and experimental interest in the past few years. We examine the generation of vortices by means of phase imprinting, as well as via dynamical instabilities. Their stability is subsequently examined in the presence of purely magnetic trapping, and in the combined presence of magnetic and optical trapping. We then study pairs of vortices and their interactions, illustrating a reduced description in terms of ordinary differential equations for the vortex centers. In the realm of two vortices we also consider the existence of stable dipole clusters for two-component condensates. Last but not least, we discuss mesoscopic patterns formed by vortices, the so-called vortex lattices and analyze some of their intriguing dynamical features. A number of interesting future directions are highlighted.