Seminars & Colloquia Calendar

Abstract:  Quantum vortices in weakly coupled superfluids have a large healing length, so that many particles reside within the vortex core. They are characterized by topologically protected singular points, which in principal should keep their core structure rigid. I will describe how, in practice, the point singularity of a vortex deforms into a line singularity (a 'cut'), in proportion with the Magnus force experienced by the vortex. The vortex structure is described by weak solutions of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. The core deformation significantly affects many aspects of vortex dynamics. For example, the Abrikosov vortex lattice in the weak-coupling limit is unstable to formation of finite cuts, which then order into superstructures.