Title | Evolution of large-scale flow from turbulence in a two-dimensional superfluid |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2019 |
Authors | S. P. Johnstone, A. J. Groszek, P. T. Starkey, C. J. Billington, T. P. Simula, and K. Helmerson |
Journal | Science |
Volume | 364 |
Pagination | 1267+ |
Date Published | JUN 28 |
Type of Article | Article |
ISSN | 0036-8075 |
Abstract | Nonequilibrium interacting systems can evolve to exhibit large-scale structure and order. In two-dimensional turbulent flow, the seemingly random swirling motion of a fluid can evolve toward persistent large-scale vortices. To explain such behavior, Lars Onsager proposed a statistical hydrodynamic model based on quantized vortices. Here, we report on the experimental confirmation of Onsager's model. We dragged a grid barrier through an oblate superfluid Bose-Einstein condensate to generate nonequilibrium distributions of vortices. We observed signatures of an inverse energy cascade driven by the evaporative heating of vortices, leading to steady-state configurations characterized by negative absolute temperatures. Our results open a pathway for quantitative studies of emergent structures in interacting quantum systems driven far from equilibrium. |
DOI | 10.1126/science.aat5793 |