Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2007/iii/paper-84/4/ii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 iii Paper 84 4 ii Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Define the physical velocity potential by , so the superfluid velocity is . The condensate number current isMultiplying the pumped Gross–Pitaevskii equation by and subtracting its complex conjugate gives the density equation. Equivalently, substituting the amplitude and phase and equating imaginary parts yieldsEquating real parts gives the other gain-loss Madelung equations relation,The last term is the quantum potential, retained wherever . Taking a gradient gives the equivalent velocity equationin an irrotational region. In equilibrium and , soThis convention distinguishes the physical velocity potential from the dimensionless quantum phase ; using the latter instead would change the divergence prefactor.
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