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Observation of Vortex Nucleation in a Rotating Two-Dimensional Lattice of Bose-Einstein Condensates

R. A. Williams, S. Al-Assam, and C. J. Foot
Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 050404 – Published 5 February 2010
Physics logo See Synopsis: Rotating condensates show new vortex behavior

Abstract

We report the observation of vortex nucleation in a rotating optical lattice. A Rb87 Bose-Einstein condensate was loaded into a static two-dimensional lattice and the rotation frequency of the lattice was then increased from zero. We studied how vortex nucleation depended on optical lattice depth and rotation frequency. For deep lattices above the chemical potential of the condensate we observed a linear dependence of the number of vortices created with the rotation frequency, even below the thermodynamic critical frequency required for vortex nucleation. At these lattice depths the system formed an array of Josephson-coupled condensates. The effective magnetic field produced by rotation introduced characteristic relative phases between neighboring condensates, such that vortices were observed upon ramping down the lattice depth and recombining the condensates.

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  • Received 4 November 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.050404

©2010 American Physical Society

Synopsis

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Rotating condensates show new vortex behavior

Published 16 February 2010

Acousto-optical techniques can be used to access a new regime of vortex nucleation in condensates in optical lattices with deep potential wells.

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Authors & Affiliations

R. A. Williams, S. Al-Assam, and C. J. Foot

  • Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, United Kingdom

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Issue

Vol. 104, Iss. 5 — 5 February 2010

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