Tkachenko modes of vortex lattices in rapidly rotating Bose-Einstein condensates

Abstract

We calculate the in-plane modes of the vortex lattice in a rotating Bose condensate from the Thomas-Fermi to the mean-field quantum Hall regimes. The Tkachenko mode frequency goes from linear in the wavevector, $k$, for lattice rotational velocities, $Ω$, much smaller than the lowest sound wave frequency in a finite system, to quadratic in $k$ in the opposite limit. The system also supports an inertial mode of frequency $\ge 2Ω$. The calculated frequencies are in good agreement with recent observations of Tkachenko modes at JILA, and provide evidence for the decrease in the shear modulus of the vortex lattice at rapid rotation.