Signatures of rigidity and second sound in dipolar supersolids
Abstract
We propose a dynamical protocol to probe the rigidity and phase coherence of dipolar supersolids by merging initially separated fragments in quasi-one-dimensional (1D) double-well potentials. Simulations based on the extended Gross-Pitaevskii equation reveal distinct dynamical signatures across phases. Supersolids exhibit damped crystal oscillations following barrier removal, with the damping rate reflecting superfluid connectivity. A phase-imprinted jump additionally triggers metastable dark solitons, which excites second sound, as revealed by an out-of-phase drift between the droplet lattice and the superfluid background. Our results show a realizable path to dynamically detect the second sound and rigidity of supersolids, as well as to realize and probe soliton formation.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates
Quantum
superfluid
helium dynamics
Fluid Dynamics and Thin Films
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Physical Review A
- Publisher
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Volume
- 113
- Issue
- 4
- Publication date
- 10 February 2026
- Language
- EN