Maarten Christenhusz

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Maarten is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Bose-Einstein Condensation Laboratory at the University of Queensland. During his doctoral research, he developed new experimental capabilities for producing highly repeatable 87Rb Bose-Einstein condensates and established a two-dimensional trapping platform for studies of quantum turbulence. His current research focuses on the hydrodynamics of quantum fluids, with particular interests in obstacle-generated turbulence, superfluid analogues of classical fluid phenomena, and quantum vortex dynamics. By combining precision experiments, numerical simulations, and theoretical modeling, he investigates how phenomena such as drag, vortex shedding, and turbulence emerge in superfluids, and what they can reveal about the connections between quantum and classical fluid dynamics.

Physics Annexe Room 06-314 / General Purpose South Room 122a
m.christenhusz@uq.edu.au
https://MaartenChristenhusz.com

Pre-prints

The list below includes current pre-prints published on the arXiv.
Pre-Prints
A high-speed, large-aperture 3D printed laser shutter for cold atom experiments
A high-speed, large-aperture 3D printed laser shutter for cold atom experiments

Cold atom experiments require optical shutters with rapid and repeatable actuation. Existing solutions often involve high cost, limited aperture diameter and slow transitioning. We present a 3D-printable shutter design featuring a large aperture of 4.5 mm diameter, low-cost assembly, and robust performance. The device achieves switching times of 399±8 μs with delays of 2.7±0.2 ms for a fully illuminated aperture, with four different shutters demonstrating repeatable performance. We measure the shutter speed to be 7.0±0.1 m/s. This approach offers an accessible, scalable solution for cold atom and other optical experiments requiring multiple shutters with precise light control and avoids the need to resize or precision-align a beam through an aperture.

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Publications

The list below includes all publications associated with the UQ BEC lab.
Featured
Emergent Universal Drag Law in a Model of Superflow
Emergent Universal Drag Law in a Model of Superflow

Despite the fundamentally different dissipation mechanisms, many laws and phenomena of classical turbulence equivalently manifest in quantum turbulence. The Reynolds law of dynamical similarity states that two objects of same geometry across different length scales are hydrodynamically equivalent under the same Reynolds number, leading to a universal drag coefficient law. In this work we confirm the existence of a universal drag law in a superfluid wake, facilitated by the nucleation of quantized vortices. We numerically study superfluid flow across a range of Reynolds numbers for the paradigmatic classical hard-wall and the Gaussian obstacle, popular in experimental quantum hydrodynamics. In addition, we provide a feasible method for measuring superfluid drag forces in an experimental environment using control volumes.

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