Collective oscillations of vortex lattices in rotating Bose-Einstein condensates

The complete low-energy collective-excitation spectrum of vortex lattices is discussed for rotating Bose-Einstein condensates by solving the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation, yielding, e.g., the Tkachenko mode recently observed at JILA. The totally symmetric subset of these modes includes the transverse shear, common longitudinal, and differential longitudinal modes. We also solve the time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii equation to simulate the actual JILA experiment, obtaining the Tkachenko mode and identifying a pair of breathing modes. Combining both approaches allows one to unambiguously identify every observed mode.     

Bose-Einstein condensates in rotating lattices

Strongly interacting bosons in a two-dimensional rotating square lattice are investigated via a modified Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian. Such a system corresponds to a rotating lattice potential imprinted on a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate. Second-order quantum phase transitions between states of different symmetries are observed at discrete rotation rates. For the square lattice we study, there are four possible ground-state symmetries.     

Formation and decay of vortex lattices in Bose-Einstein condensates at finite temperatures

The dynamics of vortex lattices in stirred Bose-Einstein condensates have been studied at finite temperatures. The decay of the vortex lattice was observed nondestructively by monitoring the centrifugal distortions of the rotating condensate. The formation of the vortex lattice could be deduced from the increasing contrast of the vortex cores observed in ballistic expansion. In contrast to the decay, the formation of the vortex lattice is insensitive to temperature change.     

Self-localization of Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattices via boundary dissipation

We introduce a technique to obtain localization of Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattices via boundary dissipations. Stationary and traveling localized states are generated by removing atoms at the optical lattice ends. Clear regimes of stretched-exponential decay for the number of atoms trapped in the lattice are identified. The phenomenon is universal and can also be observed in arrays of optical waveguides with mirrors at the system boundaries.     

Localization of Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattices

The dynamics of repulsive bosons condensed in an optical lattice is effectively described by the Bose-Hubbard model. The classical limit of this model, reproduces the dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates, in a periodic potential, and in the superfluid regime. Such dynamics is governed by a discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation. Several papers, addressing the study of the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger dynamics, have predicted the spontaneous generation of (classical) breathers in coupled condensates. In the present contribute, we shall focus on localized solutions (quantum breathers) of the full Bose-Hubbard model. We will show that solutions exponentially localized in space and periodic in time exist also in absence of randomness. Thus, this kind of states, reproduce a novel quantum localization phenomenon due to the interplay between bounded energy spectrum and non-linearity.     

Bose-Einstein condensates in 1D optical lattices

We discuss the Bloch-state solutions of the stationary Gross-Pitaevskii equation and of the Bogoliubov equations for a Bose-Einstein condensate in the presence of a one-dimensional optical lattice. The results for the compressibility, effective mass and velocity of sound are analysed as a function of the lattice depth and of the strength of the two-body interaction. The band structure of the spectrum of elementary excitations is compared with the one exhibited by the stationary solutions (Bloch bands). Moreover, the numerical calculations are compared with the analytic predictions of the tight binding approximation. We also discuss the role of quantum fluctuations and show that the condensate exhibits 3D, 2D or 1D features depending on the lattice depth and on the number of particles occupying each potential well. We finally show how, using a local density approximation, our results can be applied to study the behaviour of the gas in the presence of harmonic trapping.Received: 15 July 2003, Published online: 8 October 2003PACS: 03.75.Kk Dynamic properties of condensates; collective and hydrodynamic excitations, superfluid flow - 03.75.Lm Tunneling, Josephson effect, Bose-Einstein condensates in periodic potentials, solitons, vortices and topological excitations     

Producing Bose-Einstein condensates using optical lattices

We relate the entropies of ensembles of atoms in optical lattices to atoms in simple traps. We then determine which ensembles of lattice-bound atoms will adiabatically transform into a Bose condensate. This shows a feasible approach to Bose condensation without evaporative cooling.     

Kinetic helicity of vortex in Bose-Einstein condensates

Kinetic helicity of vortex in Bose-Einstein condensates is studied and classified by Hopf index, linking number in geometry. A mechanism of generation and annihilation of vortex line is given by method of phase singularity theory. The dynamic behavior of vortex at the critical points is discussed detailly, and three kinds of length approximation relations at the neighborhood of singularity point are given.     

Observation of vortex pinning in Bose-Einstein condensates

We report the observation of vortex pinning in rotating gaseous Bose-Einstein condensates. Vortices are pinned to columnar pinning sites created by a corotating optical lattice superimposed on the rotating Bose-Einstein condensates. We study the effects of two types of optical lattice: triangular and square. In both geometries we see an orientation locking between the vortex and the optical lattices. At sufficient intensity the square optical lattice induces a structural crossover in the vortex lattice.     

Delocalizing transition of Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattices

A Bose-Einstein condensate trapped in a two-dimensional optical lattice exhibits an abrupt transition manifested by the macroscopic wave function changing character from spatially localized to extended. Resulting from a bifurcation, this irreversible transition takes place as the interwell potential barrier is adiabatically decreased below a critical value. This is in sharp contrast to the corresponding one-dimensional case where such a bifurcation is absent and the extent of a localized mode is continuously tunable. We demonstrate how these phenomena can be experimentally explored.     

Mermin-ho vortex in ferromagnetic spinor Bose-Einstein condensates

The Mermin-Ho and Anderson-Toulouse coreless vortices are demonstrated to be thermodynamically stable in ferromagnetic F = 1 spinor Bose-Einstein condensates under rotation. We have carried out extensive calculations of the Gross-Pitaevskii equations by assuming uniform density along the z axis and comparing the energies of other competing non-axis-symmetric or singular vortices. The phase diagram is thereby established in a plane of the rotation drive vs the total magnetization. Their stability is also checked by calculating collective modes based on the Bogoliubov equations.     

Instability of Bose-Einstein condensates moving in optical lattices

We investigate the Landau damping of Bogoliubov excitations in a dilute Bose gas moving in an optical lattice at a finite temperature. Using a 1D tight-binding model, we explicitly obtain the Landau damping rate, the sign of which determines the stability of the condensate. We find that the sign changes at a certain velocity, which is exactly the same as the critical velocity determined by the Landau criterion of superfluidity. This coincidence reveals the microscopic mechanism of the Landau instability.     

Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattices: Spontaneous emission in the presence of photonic band gaps

An extended Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in an optical lattice provides a kind of periodic dielectric and causes band gaps to occur in the spectrum of light propagating through it. We examine the question whether these band gaps can modify the spontaneous emission rate of atoms excited from the BEC, and whether they can lead to a self-stabilization of the BEC against spontaneous emission. We find that self-stabilization is not possible for BECs with a density in the order of 10¹⁴ cm^-3. However, the corresponding non-Markovian behavior produces significant effects in the decay of excited atoms even for a homogeneous BEC interacting with a weak laser beam. These effects are caused by the occurrence of an avoided crossing in the photon (or rather polariton) spectrum. We also predict a new channel for spontaneous decay which arises from an interference between periodically excited atoms and periodic photon modes. This new channel should also occur in ordinary periodic dielectrics. Received 27 March 2000     

Localization of two-component Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattices

We study nonlinear localization of a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in a one-dimensional optical lattice. Our theory shows that spin-dependent optical lattices can be used to effectively manipulate the nonlinear interactions between the BEC components, and to observe composite localized states of a BEC in both bands and gaps of the matter-wave spectrum.     

Observation of vortex phase singularities in Bose-Einstein condensates

We have observed phase singularities due to vortex excitation in Bose-Einstein condensates. Vortices were created by moving a laser beam through a condensate. They were observed as dislocations in the interference fringes formed by the stirred condensate and a second unperturbed condensate. The velocity dependence for vortex excitation and the time scale for re-establishing a uniform phase across the condensate were determined.     

Dynamics of vortex dipoles in confined Bose-Einstein condensates

We present a systematic theoretical analysis of the motion of a pair of straight counter-rotating vortex lines within a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate. We introduce the dynamical equations of motion, identify the associated conserved quantities, and illustrate the integrability of the ensuing dynamics. The system possesses a stationary equilibrium as a special case in a class of exact solutions that consist of rotating guiding-center equilibria about which the vortex lines execute periodic motion; thus, the generic two-vortex motion can be classified as quasi-periodic. We conclude with an analysis of the linear and nonlinear stability of these stationary and rotating equilibria.     

Impurity-induced localization of Bose-Einstein condensates in one-dimensional optical lattices

The impurity-induced localization of two-component Bose-Einstein condensates loaded into deep one-dimensional optical lattices is studied both analytically and numerically.It is shown that,the analytical criteria for self-trapping and moving soliton/breather of the primary-component condensate are modified significantly by an admixture of an impurity component (the second component).The realization of the self-trapped state and the moving soliton/breather states of the primary-component becomes more easy with the minor admixture of the impurity-component,even if the two components are partly overlapped.     

Driving defect modes of Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattices

We present an approximate analytical theory and direct numerical computation of defect modes of a Bose-Einstein condensate loaded in an optical lattice and subject to an additional localized (defect) potential. Some of the modes are found to be remarkably stable and can be driven along the lattice by means of a defect moving following a steplike function defined by the period of Josephson oscillations and the macroscopic stability of the atoms.     

Self-localisation of dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates in leaking optical lattices

We investigate self-localisation of dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) in 1D nonlinear lattices via boundary dissipation in a dissipative nonlinear Schrödinger model (DNLS) with nearest-neighbour dipole-dipole interactions (DDI). By including both contact interactions and DDIs, we observe that a rich variety of self-localised modes (i.e., single discrete breathers, moving breathers and multi-breathers) can exist in dipolar systems in optical lattices. Furthermore, we find that DDIs can suppress the formation of single discrete breathers and support the formation of multi-breathers. Our results show that including both contact interactions and DDIs may provide a way to experimentally obtain stationary multi-breathers in optical lattices via boundary dissipations.     

Exact vortex nucleation and cooperative vortex tunneling in dilute Bose-Einstein condensates

With the imminent advent of mesoscopic rotating Bose-Einstein condensates in the lowest Landau level regime, we explore lowest Landau level vortex nucleation. An exact many-body analysis is presented in a weakly elliptical trap for up to 400 particles. Striking non-mean-field features are exposed at filling factors >1. For example, near the critical rotation frequency pairs of energy levels approach each other with exponential accuracy. A physical interpretation is provided by requantizing a mean-field theory, where 1/N plays the role of Planck's constant, revealing two vortices cooperatively tunneling between classically degenerate energy minima. The tunnel splitting variation is described in terms of frequency, particle number, and ellipticity.