Quantum vortex

A quantum vortex has integer winding number of a condensate's complex argument. For atomic mass $m$, its superfluid velocity gives circulation $2\pi \hslash q/m$ for integer $q$. A straight vortex has a density-depleted core and, outside it, tangential velocity $q\hslash /(mr)$. Its long-range flow energy is proportional to $q^2\log (R/a)$, while its angular momentum has the sign of $q$.

Rotating a trap anisotropy can nucleate vortices in an atomic condensate. Expansion followed by absorption imaging resolves depleted cores, while varying rotation and waiting after removing the stirrer tests their preparation and persistence. The interpretation is quantized rotational response, rather than only the appearance of a condensed density profile.

In healing-length units a straight quantum vortex obeys $f^{\prime \prime }+f^{\prime }/r-{\mathcal{N}}^{2}f/r^2+(1-f^2)f=0$ and $f\to 1$. Inserting $f=1-a/r^2+\cdots$ makes its order-$r^{-2}$ balance $-{\mathcal{N}}^2+2a=0$, proving the tail. The physical healing length convention must be stated; the deficit of density $1-f^2$ has twice the leading coefficient of the amplitude deficit $1-f$.

For a centered quantum vortex in a two-dimensional Thomas–Fermi condensate, use an intermediate radius ${\xi }_{\mathrm{core}}\ll L\ll R$. The approximately uniform core contributes $\pi n_c{\hslash }^2{\mathcal{N}}^2[\log (L/\xi )+L_{0|\mathcal{N}|}]/m$. The outer superfluid velocity is $\hslash \mathcal{N}/(mr)$, so its kinetic contribution is $(\pi {\hslash }^2{\mathcal{N}}^2/m){\int }_L^R{n}_c(1-r^2/R^2)dr/r$. Integration cancels $L$ and produces the constant $-1/2$. The displayed result is the matched small-core approximation at fixed particle number, not a formula for arbitrarily large winding at fixed cloud size. The angular momentum is exactly $L_z=N\hslash \mathcal{N}$ for a normalized axisymmetric single-winding state.

For a cubic-quintic Gross–Pitaevskii equation with normalized bulk amplitude one, a straight quantum vortex of integer winding number $\mathcal{N}$ has radial equation $R^{\prime \prime }+R^{\prime }/r-{\mathcal{N}}^{2}R/r^2+(1-\alpha R^2-\beta R^4)R=0$. With $\alpha +\beta =1$, the derivative of the nonlinear term at $R=1$ is $-2(1+\beta )$. Balancing the order-$r^{-2}$ centrifugal term with the bulk amplitude restoring term proves the displayed tail for a stable nondegenerate bulk state, $1+\beta >0$. A vortex's amplitude tends to one; its full complex field tends to $e^{i\mathcal{N}\theta }$, not a direction-independent constant. At $\beta =-1$ the stated inverse-square expansion cannot cancel the centrifugal term.

If a continuous nonzero complex field tends uniformly to one on large circles, its values on a sufficiently large circle lie in a disk about one that excludes zero. That disk is contractible, so the field's winding number on that circle is zero. A lone unit-charge quantum vortex therefore cannot satisfy the literal boundary $\psi \to 1$. For a vortex it is the wave amplitude, rather than the entire complex field, that can approach one; $f(r)e^{i\theta }$ gives a simple illustration of direction-dependent far-field complex argument.

A quantum vortex becomes energetically favourable in a rotating reference frame when $\Delta E-\Omega \Delta L_z<0$. For a singly quantized vortex in a long radially Thomas–Fermi condensate, the cutoff-shell estimate isIntegrating the trapped number density against $u_{\theta }^2$ produces the logarithm and constant; integrating it against angular momentum per particle gives $\Delta L_z\simeq \pi H{n}_0\hslash R_r^2/2$. Resolved-core corrections can alter the nonlogarithmic constant. This criterion compares equilibrium rotating-frame energies and does not remove a dynamical vortex-entry barrier.

Single-valuedness of the condensate field gives total complex argument change $2\pi q$ on a closed loop avoiding zeros, where $q$ is an integer winding number. Integrating the superfluid velocity around that loop gives the displayed circulation. It is unchanged by smooth deformations of the loop that do not cross a quantum vortex.

If a condensate order parameter stays nonzero along a closed loop, its phase changes by an integer multiple of $2\pi$. Broken rotational symmetry does not destroy this single-valuedness constraint. In an inhomogeneous ring the winding integer need not label an angular-momentum eigenstate.

An event changing the phase winding of a condensate around a loop. A continuous nonzero order parameter cannot change its winding integer; a phase-slip path must pass through a locally vanishing amplitude or an equivalent vortex-crossing process. This use concerns a superfluid field, rather than only the relative phase of two classical oscillators.