Vortex Formation in a Stirred Bose-Einstein Condensate

K. W. Madison; F. Chevy; W. Wohlleben; J. Dalibard

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.84.806

Vortex Formation in a Stirred Bose-Einstein Condensate

K. W. Madison, F. Chevy, W. Wohlleben, and J. Dalibard

Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 806 – Published 31 January 2000

Abstract

Using a focused laser beam we stir a Bose-Einstein condensate of $^{87} Rb$ confined in a magnetic trap and observe the formation of a vortex for a stirring frequency exceeding a critical value. At larger rotation frequencies we produce states of the condensate for which up to four vortices are simultaneously present. We have also measured the lifetime of the single vortex state after turning off the stirring laser beam.

Received 1 December 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.84.806

Authors & Affiliations

K. W. Madison, F. Chevy, W. Wohlleben^*, and J. Dalibard^†

Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Département de Physique de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France

^*Permanent address: Max-Planck-Institute für Kernphysik, Heidelberg, Germany.
^†Unité de Recherche de l'Ecole normale supérieure et del'Université Pierre et Marie Curie, associée au CNRS.