"Cherenkov radiation" of a sound in a Bose-condensed gas

We consider propagation of density wave packets in a Bose-Einstein condensate. We show that the shape of initially broad, laser-induced, density perturbation changes in the course of free time evolution so that a shock wave front finally forms. Our results are well beyond predictions of commonly used zero-amplitude approach, so they can be useful in extraction of a speed of sound from experimental data. We discuss a simple experimental setup for shock propagation and point ou...

The creation and propagation of sound waves in two-component Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) are investigated and a new method of wave generation in binary BEC mixtures is proposed. The method is based on a fast change of the inter-species interaction constant and is illustrated for two experimental settings: a drop-like condensate immersed into a second large repulsive condensate, and a binary mixture of two homogeneous repulsive BEC's. A mathematical model based on the line...

We study the propagation of electromagnetic waves in the Bose-Einstein condensate of atoms with both intrinsic dipole moments and those induced by the electric field. The modified Gross--Pitaevskii equation is used, which takes into account relaxation and interaction with the electromagnetic field. Two cases are considered: 1) when the dispersion curves of the electromagnetic wave and of the condensate excitations do not intercross and 2) when the condensate excitations' spec...

It is proposed the new microscopic theory of Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation (VCR), emitted directly by medium in non-equilibrium state, arising due to the interaction of medium with a sufficiently fast charged particle. Contrary to the macroscopic VCR theory of Tamm-Frank and quantum VCR theory of Ginzburg, we establish the new VCR parametric resonance mechanism and the new threshold of VCR effect, which is better corresponding to the VCR observations. We show that counting of t...

The phenomenon is described that is an analogue of the Vavilov-Cherenkov phenomenon and that could be observable in a space with the boundary separated a well reflecting light metal and a dielectric. An electron that is moving at a constant velocity in proximity to the such boundary creates surface plasmon-polaritons with a phase velocity that is below the electron velocity. The linear momentum of a photon in the created plasmon-polariton is calculated. This momentum could be...

We employ the Gross-Pitaevskii equation to study acoustic emission generated in a uniform Bose gas by a static impurity. The impurity excites a sound-wave packet, which propagates through the gas. We calculate the shape of this wave packet in the limit of long wave lengths, and argue that it is possible to extract properties of the impurity by observing this shape. We illustrate here this possibility for a Bose gas with a trapped impurity atom -- an example of a relevant expe...

Supersonic flow of Bose-Einstein condensate past macroscopic obstacles is studied theoretically. It is shown that in the case of large obstacles the Cherenkov cone transforms into a stationary spatial shock wave which consists of a number of spatial dark solitons. Analytical theory is developed for the case of obstacles having a form of a slender body. This theory explains qualitatively the properties of such shocks observed in recent experiments on nonlinear dynamics of cond...

Based on the modified Gross-Pitaevskii equation for atoms with intrinsic dipole moments which accounts for the relaxation of a condensate, the dipole-dipole interaction and the interaction of atoms with the electromagnetic field, the propagation of the sound and electromagnetic waves in a Bose-Einstein condensate is studied. Owing to hybridization of the electromagnetic and sound waves near the resonance frequency of an atom, there arise the two branches of excitations in whi...

A charged particle moving through a medium emits Cherenkov radiation when its velocity exceeds the phase velocity of light in that medium. Under the influence of a strong electromagnetic field, quantum fluctuations can become polarized, imbuing the vacuum with an effective anisotropic refractive index and allowing the possibility of Cherenkov radiation from the quantum vacuum. We analyze the properties of this vacuum Cherenkov radiation in strong laser pulses and the magnetic...

It is thought that in a quantum fluid sound generation is the ultimate sink of turbulent kinetic energy in the absence of any other dissipation mechanism near absolute zero. We show that a suitably trapped Bose-Einstein condensate provides a model system to study the sound emitted by accelerating vortices in a controlled way.