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Superflow in a Toroidal Bose-Einstein Condensate: An Atom Circuit with a Tunable Weak Link

Published

Author(s)

Kevin C. Wright, Anand Ramanathan, Sergio R. Muniz, Wendell Hill, Kristian Helmerson, William D. Phillips, Gretchen K. Campbell, Christopher Lobb

Abstract

We have created a long-lived (40 s) persistent current in a toroidal Bose-Einstein condensate held in an all-optical trap. A repulsive optical barrier creates a tunable weak link in the condensate circuit, which can affect the current around the loop. Superflow stops abruptly at a barrier strength such that the local flow velocity exceeds a critical velocity. The measured critical velocity is consistent with dissipation due to the creation of vortex-antivortex pairs. This system is the first realization of an elementary closed-loop atom circuit.
Citation
Physical Review Letters
Volume
106

Keywords

Bose-Einstein condensate, critical velocity, persistent current, superfluid

Citation

Wright, K. , Ramanathan, A. , Muniz, S. , Hill, W. , Helmerson, K. , Phillips, W. , Campbell, G. and Lobb, C. (2011), Superflow in a Toroidal Bose-Einstein Condensate: An Atom Circuit with a Tunable Weak Link, Physical Review Letters, [online], https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.130401 (Accessed December 3, 2024)

Issues

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Created March 28, 2011, Updated November 10, 2018