Effective field theory for the superfluid vortex lattice from coset construction
Phys. Rev. B 113, 024506 – Published 15 January, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/m1b1-94f7
Abstract
Guided by symmetry principles, we construct an effective-field theory that captures the long-wavelength dynamics of two-dimensional vortex crystals observed in rotating Bose-Einstein condensates trapped in a harmonic potential. By embedding the system into Newton–Cartan space-time and analyzing its isometries, we identify the appropriate space-time symmetry group for trapped condensates at finite angular momentum. After introducing a coarse-grained description of the vortex lattice, we consider a homogeneous equilibrium configuration and discuss the associated symmetry-breaking pattern. We apply the coset construction method to identify covariant structures that enter the effective action and discuss the physical interpretation of the inverse Higgs constraints. We verify that Kohn’s theorem is satisfied within our construction and subsequently focus on the gapless sector of the theory. In this regime, the effective theory accommodates a single gapless excitation–the Tkachenko mode–for which we construct both the leading-order and next-to-leading-order actions, the latter including cubic interaction terms.
