Robust quantum-droplet necklace clusters in three dimensions

We report the existence of quasi-stable ring-shaped (necklace-shaped) clusters built, in the free space, of 3D quantum droplets (QDs) in a binary Bose–Einstein condensate, modeled by the Gross–Pitaevskii equations with the Lee-Huang-Yang corrections. The QD clusters exhibit diverse dynamical behaviors, including contraction, oscillations, and expansion, depending on the cluster’s initial radius. A phase shift between adjacent QDs imparts net angular momentum to the cluster, inducing its permanent rotation. Through the energy-minimization analysis, we predict equilibrium values of the necklace radius that support persistent rotation with negligible radial pulsations. In this regime, the clusters evolve as robust entities, maintaining the azimuthal symmetry in the course of the evolution, even in the presence of considerable perturbations. Necklace “supervortex” clusters, composed of QDs with inner vorticity 1 and global vorticity M, imprinted onto the cluster, may also persist for a long time. The reported findings may facilitate the experimental realization of complex self-sustained quantum states in the 3D free space.