Anderson Abstract

Quantum turbulence in Bose-Einstein condensates

Turbulent fluid flows are found throughout nature, from the interstellar medium, to planetary atmospheres, to water in bathtubs, yet a microscopic physical understanding of the nature of the observed phenomena remains far from clear. In superfluids, the presence of quantized vortices offers some simplifications in characterizing turbulent fluid flows, but even in these systems microscopic studies of vortices and quantum turbulence can be exceptionally difficult. With atomic Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs), new opportunities to investigate quantum turbulence arise. In this seminar, I will briefly summarize the main concepts involved in classical and quantum turbulence. I will then discuss recent experimental research at the University of Arizona investigating BEC quantum turbulence and the dynamics of vortices, focusing especially on aspects of two-dimensional quantum turbulence and how it relates to classical 2D turbulence. Although a full characterization of quantum turbulence remains an elusive goal, studies of turbulence in BECs may soon provide new insight into the nature of turbulence in superfluids, and perhaps eventually on the general turbulence problem.