Superfluid flow through elliptical channels

Project Level: Summer

Project Duration: 6 weeks

Hours of Engagement: 30-36

Project Description: 

Superfluid Bose-Einstein condensates have the ability to flow forever (for the lifetime of an experiment) which has been demonstrated for superfluid flow around a ring. This project will investigate what happens when spherical symmetry is broken and the superfluid flows along an elliptical path. Breaking spherical symmetry breaks the requirement of conservation of angular momentum and we may find regimes where the superflow or direction of vortex rotation may even reverse, as has been found for vortices in weakly interacting anisotropically trapped condensates or immiscible two component condensates flowing around an ellipse. The changing curvature along the elliptical path gives rise to an additional curvature induced potential, resulting in the atoms experiencing an effective double well potential along the ellipse. This project will explore the interplay between miscibility and flow dynamics around an elliptical path.

Expected Outcomes:

During this research project the student will increase their understanding of superfluid systems and develop their computational modelling skills through modelling the flow of a two component condensate around an elliptical waveguide.

Suitable for:

Student finishing 3rd or 4th year who has taken an undergraduate quantum mechanics course.

Contact for further information:

Dr Angela White: a.white5@uq.edu.au