Moment of inertia and dynamical rotational response of a supersolid dipolar gas

We show that knowledge of the time-dependent response of a trapped gas, subject to a sudden rotation of a confining harmonic potential, allows for the determination of the moment of inertia of dipolar supersolid configurations. While in the presence of one-dimensional arrays of droplets the frequency of the resulting scissors oscillation provides accurate access to the value of the moment of inertia, two-dimensional-like configurations are characterized by low-frequency resonances in the rotating signal, reflecting the presence of significant rigid-body components in the rotational motion. Using the formalism of response-function theory and simulations based on the so-called extended time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii equation, we point out the crucial role played by the low-frequency components in the determination of the moment of inertia and of its deviations from the irrotational value. We also propose a protocol based on the stationary rotation of the trap, followed by its sudden stop, which might provide a promising alternative to the experimental evaluation of the moment of inertia.