Multiply-connected Bose-Einstein condensed alkali gases: Current-carrying states and their decay

TL;DR

This paper investigates the stability and decay of current-carrying states in multiply-connected Bose-Einstein condensates of alkali gases, highlighting their superfluid properties and potential for experimental detection.

Contribution

It provides a theoretical analysis of metastable current states in trapped Bose-Einstein condensates and proposes a scheme for their experimental detection.

Findings

Metastable currents can have varying lifetimes relative to experimental timescales.

Decay rates are influenced by thermal fluctuations.

Theoretical framework for detecting superfluid currents in experiments.

Abstract

The ability to support metastable current-carrying states in multiply-connected settings is one of the prime signatures of superfluidity. Such states are investigated theoretically for the case of trapped Bose condensed alkali gases, particularly with regard to the rate at which they decay via thermal fluctuations. The lifetimes of metastable currents can be either longer or shorter than experimental time-scales. A scheme for the experimental detection of metastable states is sketched.