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Center for Nonlinear Studies |
Wave-topology interactions lie at the heart of numerous physical phenomena from condensed matter systems to cosmological models; the well-known Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect in Quantum Mechanics is but a striking example. This effect has classical analogues, notably in fluid dynamics where surface waves scatter off vortices, creating wavefront dislocations, as shown in a now famous bath-tub experiment by Sir Michael Berry and colleagues in 1980. Previous works have focused on traveling waves, with the number of wavefront dislocations determined by a parameter that relates vortex circulation to wave properties. In this talk, I will present a theoretical, numerical, and experimental study of standing waves scattered by a stationary vortex which induces global (non-local) nodal structures -- lines of zero wave amplitude -- the number of which is quantized and may exhibit temporal oscillations. This is in striking contrast with earlier observations, where interactions were confined or lacking such topological regularity. Since phase is measurable in classical settings but not a physical observable in the quantum realm, these findings could potentially pave the way for hydrodynamic emulation of quantum interference phenomena. Time permitting, I will touch upon alternative equivalent interpretations of the experimental results from the standpoint of special and general relativity.
Host: Avadh Saxena (T-4)