Capture of Xe and Ar atoms by quantized vortices in 4He nanodroplets

Abstract

We present a computational study, based on time-dependent Density Functional theory, of the real-time interaction and trapping of Ar and Xe atoms in superfluid ⁴He nanodroplets either pure or hosting quantized vortex lines. We investigate the phase-space trajectories of the impurities for different initial conditions and describe in detail the complex dynamics of the droplets during the capture of the impurities. We show that the interaction of the incoming atom with the vortex core induces large bending and twisting excitations of the vortex core lines, including the generation of helical Kelvin waves propagating along the vortex core. We have also calculated the stationary configurations of a ⁴He droplet hosting a 6-vortex array whose cores are filled with Ar atoms. As observed in recent experiments, we find that doping adds substantial rigidity to the system, such that the doped vortex array remains stable, even at low values of the angular velocities where the undoped vortices would otherwise be pushed towards the droplet surface and be expelled.