Multiply connected Bose-Einstein-condensed alkali-metal gases: Current-carrying states and their decay

Abstract
The ability to support metastable current-carrying states in multiply connected settings is one of the prime signatures of superfluidity. Such states are investigated theoretically for the case of trapped Bose condensed alkali-metal gases, particularly with regard to the rate at which they decay via thermal fluctuations. The lifetimes of metastable currents can be either longer or shorter than experimental time scales. A scheme for the experimental detection of metastable states is sketched.
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