2008/07/30 by Ari M. Turner, Eugene Demler
Physics and Astronomy · #Charge (physics) #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Condensed matter physics #Geometry #Ground state #Mechanics #Physics #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Quantum mechanics #Quantum, superfluid, helium dynamics #Spin (aerodynamics) #Spinor #Spins #Symmetry (geometry) #Vortex #Vortex state #cond-mat.other #cond-mat.supr-con
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.79.214522
published as Phys. Rev. B Vol. 79 Art. No. 214522 (2009) · 28 pages, 12 figures
arxiv created 2008/07/30 · openalex publication_date 2009/06/22 · arxiv updated 2013/05/29 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Condensates of atoms with spins can have vortices of several types; these are related to the symmetry group of the atoms' ground state. We discuss how, when a condensate is placed in a small magnetic field that breaks the spin symmetry, these vortices may form bound states. Using symmetry classification of vortex charge and rough estimates for vortex interactions, one can show that some configurations that are stable at zero temperature can decay at finite temperatures by crossing over energy barriers. Our focus is cyclic spin-2 condensates which have tetrahedral symmetry.