Turbulence in classical fluids has been the subject of scientific study for centuries, yet there is still no complete general theory of classical turbulence connecting microscopic physics to macroscopic fluid flows, and this remains one of the open problems in physics. In contrast, the phenomenon of quantum turbulence in superfluids has well-defined theoretical descriptions, based on first principles and microscopic physics, and represents a realm of physics that can connect the classical and quantum worlds. Studies of quantum turbulence may thus be viewed as a path for progress on the long-standing problem of turbulence. A dilute-gas Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is, in most cases, a superfluid that supports quantized vortices, the primary structural elements of quantum turbulence. BECs are particularly convenient systems for the study of vortices, as standard techniques allow the microscopic structure and dynamics of the vortices to be investigated. Vortices in BECs can be created and manipulated using a variety of techniques, hence BECs are potentially powerful systems for the microscopic study of quantum turbulence. This dissertation focuses on quantized vortices in BECs, specifically experimental and numerical studies of their formation, dynamics, and decay, in an effort to understand the microscopic nature of vortices as elements of quantum turbulence. Four main experiments were performed, and are described in the main chapters of this dissertation, after introductions to vortices, experimental methods, and turbulence are presented. These experiments were aimed at understanding various aspects of how vortices are created and behave in a superfluid system. They involved vortex dipole nucleation in the breakdown of superfluidity, persistent current generation from a turbulent state in the presence of energy dissipation, decay of angular momentum of a BEC due to trapping potential impurities, and exploration of the spontaneous formation of vortices during the BEC phase transition. These experiments represent progress towards enhanced understanding of the formation, dynamics, and decay of vortices in BECs and thus may be foundational to more general studies of quantum turbulence in superfluids.

Phase transitions abound in the physical world, from the subatomic length scales of quark condensation to the decoupling forces in the early universe. In the Bose-Einstein condensation phase transition, a gas of trapped bosonic atoms is cooled to a critical temperature. Below this temperature, a macroscopic number of atoms suddenly starts to occupy a single quantum state; these atoms comprise the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). The dynamics of the BEC phase transition are the focus of this dissertation and the experiments described here have provided new information on the details of BEC formation. New theoretical developments are proving to be valuable tools for describing BEC phase transition dynamics and interpreting new experimental results. With their amenability to optical manipulation and probing along with the advent of new microscopic theories, BECs provide an important new avenue for gaining insight into the universal dynamics of phase transitions in general. Spontaneous symmetry breaking in the system's order parameter may be one result of cooling through a phase transition. A potential consequence of this is the spontaneous formation of topological defects, which in a BEC appear as vortices. We experimentally observed and characterized the spontaneous formation of vortices during BEC growth. We attribute vortex creation tocoherence length limitations during the initial stages of the phase transition. Parallel to these experimental observations, theory collaborators have used the Stochastic Gross-Pitaevski Equation formalism to simulate the growth of a condensate from a thermal cloud. The experimental and theoretical statistical results of the spontaneous formation of vortex cores during the growth of the condensate are in good quantitative agreement with one another, supporting our understanding of the dynamics of the phase transition. We believe that our results are also qualitatively consistent with the Kibble-Zurek mechanism, a universal model for topological defect formation. Ultimately, our understanding of the dynamics of the BEC phase transition may lead to a broader understanding of phase transitions in general, and provide new insight into the development of coherence in numerous systems.

This book illustrates the broad range of Jerry Marsden’s mathematical legacy in areas of geometry, mechanics, and dynamics, from very pure mathematics to very applied, but always with a geometric perspective. Each contribution develops its material from the viewpoint of geometric mechanics beginning at the very foundations, introducing readers to modern issues via illustrations in a wide range of topics. The twenty refereed papers contained in this volume are based on lectures and research performed during the month of July 2012 at the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences, in a program in honor of Marsden's legacy. The unified treatment of the wide breadth of topics treated in this book will be of interest to both experts and novices in geometric mechanics. Experts will recognize applications of their own familiar concepts and methods in a wide variety of fields, some of which they may never have approached from a geometric viewpoint. Novices may choose topics that interest them among the various fields and learn about geometric approaches and perspectives toward those topics that will be new for them as well.

This book provides an up-to-date approach to the diagnosis and management of endocarditis based on a critical analysis of the recent studies. It is the only up-to-date clinically oriented textbook available on this subject. The book is structured in a format that is easy to follow, clinically relevant and evidence based. The author has a special interest in the application of ultrasound in the study of cardiac structure and function.

Covering general theoretical concepts and the research to date, this book demonstrates that Bose-Einstein condensation is a truly universal phenomenon.

This book, written by experts in the fields of atomic physics and nonlinear science, covers the important developments in a special aspect of Bose-Einstein condensation, namely nonlinear phenomena in condensates. Topics covered include bright, dark, gap and multidimensional solitons; vortices; vortex lattices; optical lattices; multicomponent condensates; mathematical methods/rigorous results; and the beyond-the-mean-field approach.

Wave Turbulence refers to the statistical theory of weakly nonlinear dispersive waves. There is a wide and growing spectrum of physical applications, ranging from sea waves, to plasma waves, to superfluid turbulence, to nonlinear optics and Bose-Einstein condensates. Beyond the fundamentals the book thus also covers new developments such as the interaction of random waves with coherent structures (vortices, solitons, wave breaks), inverse cascades leading to condensation and the transitions between weak and strong turbulence, turbulence intermittency as well as finite system size effects, such as “frozen” turbulence, discrete wave resonances and avalanche-type energy cascades. This book is an outgrow of several lectures courses held by the author and, as a result, written and structured rather as a graduate text than a monograph, with many exercises and solutions offered along the way. The present compact description primarily addresses students and non-specialist researchers wishing to enter and work in this field.