RUI: Experiments with Bose-Einstein Condensates II

拓扑结构是物理学许多不同分支的核心，在各种不同的能量和长度尺度上。例如，量子化的涡旋表达了超流体系统的旋转性质;而在宇宙学上，狄拉克单极子长期以来一直在磁场中寻找，因为它们存在的证据与电荷的量子化有关。在这里，几个实验方面的拓扑结构的原始和高度可控的背景下，稀气体玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体进行了探索。作为该项目的一个核心部分，利用正在开发的实时成像技术，探讨了相互作用的量子化涡旋的小集群的动态及其对不断变化的环境条件的反应，包括温度和原子间相互作用的强度。旋量凝聚体中更奇特的拓扑结构也是研究的对象，包括merons（两组分涡旋“分子”）和Dirac单极子。拓扑结构的研究涉及基础物理和世界本质中的基本问题。回答这些问题的进展有助于理解日益复杂的现象，并最终将其应用于重要问题。在这里，人们可能会设想一个超流体旋转的研究，导致更灵敏的旋转探测器的创建。更直接和直接的好处是强调教育和培训不同背景的大学生从事物理学前沿研究。这种培训比研究型大学的典型培训要早得多。参与的学生然后成为下一代科学家和公民的积极成员。

Topological structures are central to many different branches of physics, at a variety of different energy and length scales. Quantized vortices, for example, express the rotational properties of a superfluid system; and, cosmologically, Dirac monopoles have long been sought in the magnetic field since evidence for their existence has implications for the quantization of charge. Here, several experimental aspects of topological structures in the pristine and highly controllable context of dilute-gas Bose-Einstein condensates are explored. The dynamics of small clusters of interacting quantized vortices and their response to changing environmental conditions, including temperature and the strength of the interatomic interactions, are explored using real-time imaging techniques under development as a central part of the project. More exotic topological structures in spinor condensates are also sought for study, including merons (two-component vortex "molecules") and Dirac monopoles.Research on topological structures engages fundamental problems in basic physics and the nature of the world. Progress toward answering these questions contributes to the understanding of increasingly complex phenomena and ultimately to its application to problems of significance. Here, one might envision a study of superfluid rotation as leading to the creation of more sensitive rotation detectors. Of more direct and immediate benefit is the emphasis on education and training of undergraduates of diverse backgrounds in the performance of cutting-edge research in physics. This training takes place much earlier than is typical of research universities. The participating students then become active members of the next generation of scientists and citizens.