Why Visualize BECs?
Theoretical aspects of Bose-Einstein condensates are investigated by conducting computer simulations of their behavior. Scientific visualization techniques are employed in order to examine the large amount of data generated by simulation. Visualization of this simulated data demonstrates theoretical predictions, influences the research process, accelerates scientific understanding, and stimulates further investigation. One focus of physics research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is the behavior of magnetically trapped BECs of alkali atoms that are subjected to rotation. One of the long-standing conjectures of many-body physics is that BECs of interacting particles should be a superfluid, with properties similar to those of liquid 4 He(II). One key prediction is that the confined BEC forms quantized vortices when subjected to an external torque. To explore this possibility, researchers at NIST perform computer simulations of BECs in rotating magnetic traps.
