Coherent vortex dynamics in a strongly-interacting superfluid on a silicon chip
Abstract
Two-dimensional superfluidity and quantum turbulence are directly connected to the microscopic dynamics of quantized vortices. However, surface effects have prevented direct observations of coherent vortex dynamics in strongly-interacting two-dimensional systems. Here, we overcome this challenge by confining a two-dimensional droplet of superfluid helium at microscale on the atomically-smooth surface of a silicon chip. An on-chip optical microcavity allows laser-initiation of vortex clusters and nondestructive observation of their decay in a single shot. Coherent dynamics dominate, with thermal vortex diffusion suppressed by six orders-of-magnitude. This establishes a new on-chip platform to study emergent phenomena in strongly-interacting superfluids, test astrophysical dynamics such as those in the superfluid core of neutron stars in the laboratory, and construct quantum technologies such as precision inertial sensors.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1902.04409,
title = {Coherent vortex dynamics in a strongly-interacting superfluid on a silicon chip},
author = {Yauhen P. Sachkou and Christopher G. Baker and Glen I. Harris and Oliver R. Stockdale and Stefan Forstner and Matthew T. Reeves and Xin He and David L. McAuslan and Ashton S. Bradley and Matthew J. Davis and Warwick P. Bowen},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1902.04409},
year = {2020}
}
Comments
Main text - 12 pages, 4 figures. Supplementary materials - 25 pages, 13 figures