Damping of Superfluid Flow by a Thermal Cloud

R. Meppelink, S. B. Koller, J. M. Vogels, H. T. C. Stoof, and P. van der Straten

Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 265301 – Published 23 December 2009

Abstract

One of the principal signatures of superfluidity is the frictionless flow of a superfluid through another substance. Here, we study the flow of a Bose-Einstein condensate through a thermal cloud and study its damping for different harmonic confinements and temperatures. The damping rates close to the collisionless regime are found to be in good agreement with Landau damping and become smaller for more homogeneous systems. In the hydrodynamic regime, we observe additional damping due to collisions, and we discuss the implications of these findings for superfluidity in this system.

Received 4 September 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.265301

Authors & Affiliations

R. Meppelink¹, S. B. Koller¹, J. M. Vogels¹, H. T. C. Stoof², and P. van der Straten¹

¹Atom Optics and Ultrafast Dynamics, Utrecht University, Post Office Box 80,000, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands
²Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, Post Office Box 80,000, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands

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Vol. 103, Iss. 26 — 31 December 2009

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