Vortex dynamics and their interactions in quantum trajectories

D. A. WISNIACKI, E. PUJALS, F. BORONDO

JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. A - MATHEMATICAL AND GENERAL

IOP

Año: 2007 vol. 40 p. 14353 - 14368

0305-4470

Vortices are known to play a key role in many important processes in physicsand chemistry. Here, we study vortices in connection with the quantumtrajectories that can be defined in the framework provided by the de Broglie­Bohm formalism of quantum mechanics. In a previous work, it was shownthat the presence of a single moving vortex is enough to induce chaos in thesetrajectories. Here, this situation is explored in more detail by discussing therelationship between Lyapunov exponents and the parameters characterizingthe vortex dynamics. We also consider the issue when more than one vortexexists. In this case, the interaction among them can annihilate or create pairsof vortices with opposite vorticity. This phenomenon is analyzed from adynamical point of view, showing how the size of the regular regions in phasespace grows, as vortices disappear.