Solitons in Bose–Einstein condensates

The Gross–Pitaevskii equation (GPE) describing the evolution of the Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) order parameter for weakly interacting bosons supports dark solitons for repulsive interactions and bright solitons for attractive interactions. After a brief introduction to BEC and a general review of GPE solitons, we present our results on solitons that arise in the BEC of hard-core bosons, which is a system with strongly repulsive interactions. For a given background density, this system is found to support both a dark soliton and an antidark soliton (i.e., a bright soliton on a pedestal) for the density profile. When the background has more (less) holes than particles, the dark (antidark) soliton solution dies down as its velocity approaches the sound velocity of the system, while the antidark (dark) soliton persists all the way up to the sound velocity. This persistence is in contrast to the behaviour of the GPE dark soliton, which dies down at the Bogoliubov sound velocity. The energy–momentum dispersion relation for the solitons is shown to be similar to the exact quantum low-lying excitation spectrum found by Lieb for bosons with a delta-function interaction.     

Phase fluctuations in Bose–Einstein condensates

We demonstrate the existence of phase fluctuations in elongated Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) and study the dependence of these fluctuations on the system parameters. A strong dependence on temperature, atom number, and trapping geometry is observed. Phase fluctuations directly affect the coherence properties of BECs. In particular, we observe instances where the phase-coherence length is significantly smaller than the condensate size. Our method of detecting phase fluctuations is based on their transformation into density modulations after ballistic expansion. An analytic theory describing this transformation is developed. Received: 13 July 2001 / Revised version: 28 September 2001 / Published online: 23 November 2001     

Spinor Bose–Einstein condensates

An overview of the physics of spinor and dipolar Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) is given. Mean-field ground states, Bogoliubov spectra, and many-body ground and excited states of spinor BECs are discussed. Properties of spin-polarized dipolar BECs and those of spinor–dipolar BECs are reviewed. Some of the unique features of the vortices in spinor BECs such as fractional vortices and non-Abelian vortices are delineated. The symmetry of the order parameter is classified using group theory, and various topological excitations are investigated based on homotopy theory. Some of the more recent developments in a spinor BEC are discussed.     

Bose–Einstein condensates in magnetic waveguides

In this article, we describe an experimental system for generating Bose–Einstein condensates and controlling the shape and motion of a condensate by using miniaturised magnetic potentials. In particular, we describe the magnetic trap setup, the vacuum system, the use of dispenser sources for loading a high number of atoms into the magneto-optical trap, the magnetic transfer of atoms into the microtrap, and the experimental cycle for generating Bose–Einstein condensates. We present first results on outcoupling of condensates into a magnetic waveguide and discuss influences of the trap surface on the ultra-cold ensembles. Received: 21 August 2002 / Revised version: 10 December 2002 / Published online: 26 February 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +49-7071/295-829, E-mail: fortagh@pit.uni-tuebingen.de     

Spin–orbit-coupled spin-1 Bose–Einstein condensates confined in radially periodic potential

We investigate the ground states of spin-1 Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) with spin–orbit coupling in a radiallyperiodic potential by numerically solving the coupled Gross–Pitaevskii equations. In the radially periodic potential, wefirst demonstrate that spin–orbit-coupled antiferromagnetic BECs support a multiring petal phase. Polar–core vortex canbe observed from phase profiles, which is manifested as circularly symmetric distribution. We further show that spin–orbitcoupling can induce multiring soliton structure in ferromagnetic BECs. It is confirmed especially that the wave-functionphase of the ring corresponding to uniform distribution satisfies the rotational symmetry, and the wave-function phase ofthe ring corresponding to partial splitting breaks the rotational symmetry. Adjusting the spin–orbit coupling strength cancontrol the number of petal in antiferromagnetic BECs and the winding numbers of wave-function in ferromagnetic BECs.Finally, we discuss effects of spin-independent and spin-dependent interactions on the ground states.     

Three-dimensional solitons in two-component Bose–Einstein condensates

We investigate a kind of solitons in the two-component Bose–Einstein condensates with axisymmetric configurations in the R2×S1space. The corresponding topological structure is referred to as Hopfion. The spin texture differs from the conventional three-dimensional(3D) skyrmion and knot, which is characterized by two homotopy invariants. The stability of the Hopfion is verified numerically by evolving the Gross–Pitaevskii equations in imaginary time.     

Collective enhancement and suppression in Bose–Einstein condensates

The coherent and collective nature of a Bose–Einstein condensate can enhance or suppress physical processes. Bosonic stimulation enhances scattering in already occupied states which leads to matter wave amplification, and the suppression of dissipation leads to superfluidity. In this article we present several experiments where enhancement and suppression have been observed and discuss the common roots of and differences between these phenomena.     

Soliton breathers in spin-1 Bose–Einstein condensates

We consider a spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate trapped in a harmonic potential with different nonlinearity coeffi- cients. We illustrate the dynamics of soliton breathers in two-component and three-component states by numerically solv- ing the one-dimensional time-dependent coupled Gross-Pitaecskii equations （GPEs）. We present that two condensates with repulsive interspecies interactions make elastic collision and novel soliton breathers are created in two-component state. We also demonstrate novel soliton breathers in three-component state with attractive coupling constants. Furthermore, possible reasons for creating soliton breathers are discussed.     

方势阱中凝聚体的孤子动力学行为

利用多重尺度法, 解析地研究了方势阱中玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体的孤子动力学行为. 结果表明, 方势阱对凝聚体中的孤子动力学有重要的影响. 进入方势阱时孤子作加速运动, 逃逸出势阱时孤子作减速运动; 且随着势阱深度的增加, 孤子的速度增加、幅度增加、宽度减小. 这为实验操控孤子的动力学行为提供一定的参考价值.关键词：玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体孤子方势阱     

Interactions between bright solitons in different species of Bose—Einstein condensates

The dynamics of a bright-bright vector soliton in a cigar-shaped Bose-Einstein condensate trapping in a harmonic potential is studied.The interaction between bright solitons in different species with small separation is derived.Unlike the interaction between solitons of the same species,it is independent of the phase difference between solitons.It may be of attraction or repulsion.In the former case,each soliton will oscillate about and pass through each other around the mass-center of the system,which will also oscillate harmonically due to the harmonic trapping potential.     

Dynamics of Analytical Matter-Wave Solutions in Three-Dimensional Bose–Einstein Condensates with Two- and Three-Body Interactions

Using the F-expansion method we present analytical matter-wave solutions to Bose-Einstein condensates with two- and three-body interactions through the generalized three-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation with time- dependent coefficients, for the periodically time-varying interactions and quadratic potential strength. Such solutions exist under certain conditions, and impose constraints on the functions describing potential strength, nonlinearities, and gain （loss）. Various shapes of analytical matter-wave solutions which have important applications of physical interest are s~udied in details.     

Solitons of two-component Bose-Einstein condensates modulated in space and time

In this Letter we present soliton solutions of two coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations modulated in space and time. The approach allows us to obtain solitons for a large variety of solutions depending on the nonlinearity and potential profiles. As examples we show three cases with soliton solutions: a solution for the case of a potential changing from repulsive to attractive behavior, and the other two solutions corresponding to localized and delocalized nonlinearity terms, respectively.     

Emergence and stability of vortex clusters in Bose-Einstein condensates: A bifurcation approach near the linear limit

We study the existence and stability properties of clusters of alternating charge vortices in repulsive Bose-Einstein condensates. It is illustrated that such states emerge from cascades of symmetry-breaking bifurcations that can be analytically tracked near the linear limit of the system via weakly nonlinear few-mode expansions. We present the resulting states that emerge near the first few eigenvalues of the linear limit, and illustrate how the nature of the bifurcations can be used to understand their stability. Rectilinear, polygonal and diagonal vortex clusters are only some of the obtained states while mixed states, consisting of dark solitons and vortex clusters, are identified as well. We also explore the evolution of unstable states and their transient dynamics exploring configurations of nearby bifurcation branches.     

光晶格势阱中二元凝聚体的矢量孤子的振荡和分裂

考虑外部囚禁势阱为光晶格势阱,研究了二元玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体中亮-亮孤子的动力学行为.结果表明,亮-亮孤子的运动方向和振荡行为可以分别通过调节光晶格势阱的晶格常数和势阱深度来控制.进一步地,亮-亮孤子还可以被局域在光晶格势阱中,并且随着势阱深度的增加,局域孤子会产生分裂行为.