Phenomenological description of the vortex density in rotating BEC superfluids

Abstract

We propose a phenomenological equation for the vortex line density in rotating Bose-Einstein condensates as a function of the angular speed. This equation provides a simple description of the gross features of the increase in vortex number from the appearance of the first vortex to the theoretical rigid-body result for high vortex density, and allows one to compare with analogous situations in superfluid helium, after the suitable changes in the relevant parameters are made.