Observation of vortices and vortex stripes in
a dipolar condensate

Year: 2022

Authors: Klaus L., Bland T., Poli E., Politi C., Lamporesi G., Casotti E., Bisset R.N., Mark M.J., Ferlaino F.

Autors Affiliation: Institut für Quantenoptik und Quanteninformation, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Innsbruck, Austria.
Institut für Experimentalphysik,
Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
INO-CNR BEC Center and Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Trento, Povo, Italy.

Abstract: Quantized vortices are a prototypical feature of superfluidity that have
been observed in multiple quantum gas experiments. But the occurrence of
vortices in dipolar quantum gases—a class of ultracold gases characterized
by long-range anisotropic interactions—has not been reported yet. Here
we exploit the anisotropic nature of the dipole–dipole interaction of
a dysprosium Bose–Einstein condensate to induce angular symmetry
breaking in an otherwise cylindrically symmetric pancake-shaped trap.
Tilting the magnetic field towards the radial plane deforms the cloud into an
ellipsoid, which is then set into rotation. At stirring frequencies approaching
the radial trap frequency, we observe the generation of dynamically
unstable surface excitations, which cause angular momentum to be pumped
into the system through vortices. Under continuous rotation, the vortices
arrange into a stripe configuration along the field, in close agreement with
numerical simulations.

Journal/Review: NATURE PHYSICS

Volume: 18      Pages from: 1453  to: 1458

KeyWords: vortici, gas dipolari, magnetostirring
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-022-01793-8