Stationary and non-stationary fluid flow of a Bose-Einstein condensate through a penetrable barrier

Abstract

We experimentally study the fluid flow induced by a broad, penetrable barrier moving through an elongated dilute gaseous Bose-Einstein condensate. The barrier is created by a laser beam swept through the condensate, and the resulting dipole potential can be either attractive or repulsive. We examine both cases and find regimes of stable and unstable fluid flow: At slow speeds of the barrier, the fluid flow is stationary due to the superfluidity of the condensate. At intermediate speeds, we observe a non-stationary regime in which the condensate gets filled with dark solitons. At faster speeds, soliton formation completely ceases and a remarkable absence of excitation in the condensate is seen again.