Rotation and Angular Momentum Transfer in Bose-Einstein Condensates Induced by Spiral Dark Solitons

Abstract: It is a common view that rotational motion in a superfluid can exist only in the presence of quantized vortices. However, in our numerical studies on the merging of two concentric Bose-Einstein condensates with axial symmetry in two-dimensional space, we observe the emergence of a spiral dark soliton when one condensate has a non-zero initial angular momentum. This spiral dark soliton enables the transfer of angular momentum between the condensates and allows the merged condensate to rotate even in the absence of quantized vortices. We examine the flow field around the soliton and reveal that its sharp endpoint can induce flow like a vortex point but with a fraction of a quantized circulation. This interesting nontopological "phase defect" may generate broad interests since rotational motion is essential in many quantum transport processes.