2024/06/02 by Sambit Banerjee, Banerjee, Sambit, Kai Zhou +15 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #FOS: Physical sciences #Quantum Gases (cond-mat.quant-gas) #Quantum, superfluid, helium dynamics #Strong Light-Matter Interactions
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2406.00863
openalex publication_date 2024/06/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
We experimentally and numerically study the collapse dynamics of a quantum vortex in a two-dimensional atomic superfluid following a fast interaction ramp from repulsion to attraction. We find the conditions and time scales for a superfluid vortex to radially converge into a quasi-stationary density profile, demonstrating the spontaneous formation of a vortex soliton-like structure in an atomic Bose gas. We record an emergent self-similar dynamics caused by an azimuthal modulational instability, which amplifies initial density perturbations and leads to the eventual splitting of a solitonic ring profile or direct fragmentation of a superfluid into disordered, but roughly circular arrays of Townes soliton-like wavepackets. These dynamics are qualitatively reproduced by simulations based on the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. However, a discrepancy in the magnitude of amplified density fluctuations predicted by our mean-field analysis suggests the presence of effects beyond the mean-field approximation. Our study sets the stage for exploring out-of-equilibrium dynamics of vortex quantum matter quenched to attractive interactions and their universal characteristics.