Breakdown of the superfluidity of a matter wave in a random environment

2010/03/31 by M. Albert, Mathias Albert, T. Paul +3
Physics and Astronomy · #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Matter wave #Nonlinear Photonic Systems #Physics #Quantum #Quantum many-body systems #Quantum mechanics #Statistical physics #Superfluidity #cond-mat.quant-gas

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreva.82.011602

published as Phys. Rev. A 82, 011602(R) (2010) · 4 pages, 2 figures, final printed version

openalex publication_date 2010/07/06 · arxiv created 2010/07/07 · arxiv updated 2015/05/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

We consider a guided Bose-Einstein matter wave flowing through a disordered potential. We determine the critical velocity at which superfluidity is broken and compute its statistical properties. They are shown to be connected to extreme values of the random potential. Experimental implementations of this physics are discussed.

Citations

• Bose-Einstein beams: Coherent propagation through a guide
• Stationary and Nonstationary Fluid Flow of a Bose-Einstein Condensate Through a Penetrable Barrier
• Theory of dirty superconductors
• Dipole Oscillations of a Bose-Einstein Condensate in the Presence of Defects and Disorder
• Quantum Phase Slips in Superconducting Nanowires
• Superfluidity versus Anderson Localization in a Dilute Bose Gas