Solitonic and Vortex Excitations in Low-Dimensional Superfluids Far From Equilibrium (SALMANHU20SCIO)

The study of superfluidity in quantum fluids is currently one of the most fascinating fields of research in fluid dynamics involving some of the most unusual phenomena seen in fluids. These include the ability of the fluid to flow without any dissipation, the propagation of heat as a wave rather than by diffusion, and the quantisation of circulation of superfluid vortices as determined by quantum mechanical constraints.

Originally discovered in liquid Helium, superfluids are nowadays being studied in a broad range of systems including atomic and molecular Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs), exciton-polariton condensates (consisting of light and matter waves), and spin-wave systems. The discovery of superfluidity in these new systems is currently driving theoretical research towards a better understanding of non-equilibrium phenomena. Such non-equilibrium effects have relevance to the study of turbulence in quantum fluids, finite temperature effects in BECs, non-equilibrium condensates, as well as describing non-equilibrium phase transitions. Despite its importance and broad relevance to these problems, the underlying theory for non-equilibrium phenomena is not well developed and is currently a very active area of investigation.

This PhD project aims to improve our understanding of non-equilibrium phenomena through the study of solitons and vortex dynamics in quantum fluids. The primary tool to tackle the project is a combination of theory and numerical simulations based on the Nonlinear Schrodinger or Gross-Pitaevskii equation. The aim will be to use these models to corroborate recent experimental findings. Topics that are relevant to the described research include, fluid mechanics, quantum mechanics, nonlinear waves, numerical methods, and statistical mechanics.

For more information on the project’s supervisor, please visit: https://people.uea.ac.uk/h_salman
Type of programme: PhD
Start date of project: October 2020
Mode of study: full time
Studentship length: funded for 3 years
Location: UEA
Entry requirements: acceptable first degree in Mathematics, Physics. The standard minimum entry requirement is 2:1.