Abstract

Collective modes propagating in a moving superfluid are known to satisfy wave equations in a curved space-time, with a metric determined by the underlying superflow. We use the Keldysh technique in a curved space-time to develop a quantum geometric theory of fluctuations in superfluid hydrodynamics. This theory relies on a "quantized" generalization of the : two-fluid description of Landau and Khalatnikov, where the superfluid component is viewed as a quasi-classical field coupled to a normal component - the collective modes/phonons representing a quantum bath. This relates the problem in the hydrodynamic limit to the "quantum friction" problem of Caldeira-Leggett type, By integrating out the phonons, we derive stochastic Langevin equations describing a coupling between the superfluid component and phonons. These equations have the form of Euler equations with additional source terms expressed through a fluctuating stress-energy tensor of phonons. Conceptually, this result is similar to stochastic Einstein equations that arise in the theory of stochastic gravity. We formulate the fluctuation-dissipation theorem in this geometric language and discuss possible physical consequences of this theory. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Publication Details
Publication Type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2018
Volume
395
Number of Pages
84-111
DOI
10.1016/j.aop.2018.05.009
Journal
Annals of Physics
Contributors