Low velocity quantum reflection of Bose-Einstein condensates

We study how interactions affect the quantum reflection of Bose-Einstein condensates. A patterned silicon surface with a square array of pillars resulted in high reflection probabilities. For incident velocities greater than 2.5 mm/s, our observations agreed with single-particle theory. At velocities below 2.5 mm/s, the measured reflection probability saturated near 60% rather than increasing towards unity as predicted by the accepted theoretical model. We extend the theory of quantum reflection to account for the mean-field interactions of a condensate which suppresses quantum reflection at low velocity. The reflected condensates show collective excitations as recently predicted.     

Creation of solitons and vortices by bragg reflection of Bose-Einstein condensates in an optical lattice

We study the dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates in an optical lattice and harmonic trap. The condensates are set in motion by displacing the trap and initially follow simple semiclassical paths, shaped by the lowest energy band. Above a critical displacement, the condensate undergoes Bragg reflection. For high atom densities, the first Bragg reflection generates a train of solitons and vortices, which destabilize the condensate and trigger explosive expansion. At lower densities, soliton and vortex formation requires multiple Bragg reflections, and damps the center-of-mass motion.     

Quantum reflection from a solid surface at normal incidence

We observed quantum reflection of ultracold atoms from the attractive potential of a solid surface. Extremely dilute Bose-Einstein condensates of 23Na, with peak density 10(11)-10(12) atoms/cm(3), confined in a weak gravitomagnetic trap were normally incident on a silicon surface. Reflection probabilities of up to 20% were observed for incident velocities of 1-8 mm/s. The velocity dependence agrees qualitatively with the prediction for quantum reflection from the attractive Casimir-Polder potential. Atoms confined in a harmonic trap divided in half by a solid surface exhibited extended lifetime due to quantum reflection from the surface, implying a reflection probability above 50%.     

Collisions of solitons and vortex rings in cylindrical Bose-Einstein condensates

Interactions of solitary waves in a cylindrically confined Bose-Einstein condensate are investigated by simulating their head-on collisions. Slow vortex rings and fast solitons are found to collide elastically contrary to the situation in the three-dimensional homogeneous Bose gas. Strongly inelastic collisions are absent for low density condensates but occur at higher densities for intermediate velocities. The scattering behavior is rationalized by use of dispersion diagrams. During inelastic collisions, spherical shell-like structures of low density are formed and they eventually decay into depletion droplets with solitary-wave features. The relation to similar shells observed in a recent experiment by Ginsberg et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 040403 (2005)] is discussed.     

Atom optics with rotating Bose-Einstein condensates

The atom optics of Bose-Einstein condensates containing a vortex of circulation one is discussed. We first analyze in detail the reflection of such a condensate falling on an atomic mirror. In a second part, we consider a rotating condensate in the case of attractive interactions. We show that for sufficiently large nonlinearity the rotational symmetry of the rotating condensate is broken. Received 16 September 2002 / Received in final form 17 November 2002 Published online 11 February 2003     

Charged condensation

We consider Bose–Einstein condensation of massive electrically charged scalars in a uniform background of charged fermions. We focus on the case when the scalar condensate screens the background charge, while the net charge of the system resides on its boundary surface. A distinctive signature of this substance is that the photon acquires a Lorentz-violating mass in the bulk of the condensate. Due to this mass, the transverse and longitudinal gauge modes propagate with different group velocities. We give qualitative arguments that at high enough densities and low temperatures a charged system of electrons and helium-4 nuclei, if held together by laboratory devices or by force of gravity, can form such a substance. We briefly discuss possible manifestations of the charged condensate in compact astrophysical objects.     

Observation of a red-blue detuning asymmetry in matter-wave superradiance

We report the first experimental observation of strong suppression of matter-wave superradiance using blue-detuned pump light and demonstrate a pump-laser detuning asymmetry in the collective atomic recoil motion. In contrast to all previous theoretical frameworks, which predict that the process should be symmetric with respect to the sign of the detuning of the pump laser from the one-photon resonance, we find that for condensates the symmetry is broken. With high condensate densities and red-detuned pump light the distinctive multiorder, matter-wave scattering pattern is clearly visible, whereas with blue-detuned pump light superradiance is strongly suppressed. However, in the limit of a dilute atomic gas symmetry is restored.     

BCS wave-function approach to the BEC-BCS crossover of exciton-polariton condensates

The crossover between low and high density regimes of exciton-polariton condensates is examined using a BCS wave-function approach. Our approach is an extension of the BEC-BCS crossover theory for excitons, but includes a cavity photon field. The approach can describe both the low density limit, where the system can be described as a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of exciton-polaritons, and the high density limit, where the system enters a photon-dominated regime. In contrast to the exciton BEC-BCS crossover where the system approaches an electron-hole plasma, the polariton high density limit has strongly correlated electron-hole pairs. At intermediate densities, there is a regime with BCS-like properties, with a peak at nonzero momentum of the singlet pair function. We calculate the expected photoluminescence and give several experimental signatures of the crossover.     

Comparing contact and dipolar interactions in a Bose-Einstein condensate

We have measured the relative strength epsilon dd of the magnetic dipole-dipole interaction compared with the contact interaction in a dipolar chromium Bose-Einstein condensate. We analyze the asymptotic velocities of expansion of the condensate with different orientations of the atomic magnetic moments. By comparing the experimental results with numerical solutions of the hydrodynamic equations for dipolar condensates, we obtain epsilon dd = 0.159+/-0.034. We use this result to determine the s-wave scattering length a = (5.08+/-1.06 x 10(-9)) m = (96+/-20) a0 of 52Cr. This is fully consistent with our previous measurements on the basis of Feshbach resonances and therefore confirms the validity of the theoretical approach used to describe the dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate.     

Superfluid and dissipative dynamics of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a periodic optical potential

We create Bose-Einstein condensates of 87Rb in a static magnetic trap with a superimposed blue-detuned 1D optical lattice. By displacing the magnetic trap center we are able to control the condensate evolution. We observe a change in the frequency of the center-of-mass oscillation in the harmonic trapping potential, in analogy with an increase in effective mass. For fluid velocities greater than a local speed of sound, we observe the onset of dissipative processes up to full removal of the superfluid component. A parallel simulation study visualizes the dynamics of the Bose-Einstein condensate and accounts for the main features of the observed behavior.     

Tunneling Dynamics of Two-Species Molecular Bose-Einstein Condensates

We study tunneling dynamics of atomic group in two-species molecular Bose-Einstein condensates. It is shown that the tunneling of the atom group depends on not only the tunneling coupling constant between the atomic pair molecular condensate and the three-atomic group molecular condensate, but also the inter-molecular nonlinear interactions and the initial number of atoms in these condensates. It is discovered that besides oscillating tunneling current between the atomic pair molecular condensate and the three-atomic group molecular condensate, the nonlinear atomic group tunneling dynamics sustains a self-maintained population imbalance: a macroscopic quantum self-trapping effect.     

Charged kaon condensation in high density quark matter

We show that at asymptotically high densities the “color-flavor-locked+neutral kaon condensate” phase of QCD develops a charged kaon condensate through the Coleman–Weinberg mechanism. At densities achievable in neutron stars a charged kaon condensate forms only for some (natural) values of the low energy constants describing the low-lying excitations of the ground state.     

Tunneling Dynamics of Two-Species Bose-Einstein Condensates with Feshbach Resonances

We investigate tunneling dynamics of atomic group consisting of three atoms in Bose-Einstein condensates with Feshbach resonance. It is shown that the tunneling of the atom group depends not only on the inter-atomic nonlinear interactions and the initial number of atoms in these condensates, but also on the tunneling coupling between the atomic condensate and the three-atomic molecular condensate. It is found that besides oscillating tunneling current between the atomic condensate and the molecular condensate, the nonlinear atomic group tunneling dynamics sustains a self-maintained population imbalance: a macroscopic quantum self-trapping effect. The influence of de-coherence caused by non-condensate atoms on the tunneling dynamics is studied. It is indicated that de-coherence suppresses the atomic group tunneling.     

Quantum reflection of bright matter-wave solitons

We propose the use of bright matter-wave solitons formed from Bose-Einstein condensates with attractive interactions to probe and study quantum reflection from a solid surface at normal incidence. We demonstrate that the presence of attractive interatomic interactions leads to a number of advantages for the study of quantum reflection. The absence of dispersion as the soliton propagates allows precise control of the velocity normal to the surface and for much lower velocities to be achieved. Numerical modelling shows that the robust, self-trapped nature of bright solitons leads to a clean reflection from the surface, limiting the disruption of the density profile and permitting accurate measurements of the reflection probability.     

一个玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体超流临界速度值的修正

超流最关键的物理量就是临界速度,美国MIT(麻省理工学院)实验组用激光来回扫描凝聚体的方法测出BEC超流体的临界速度,但是与Bogolyubov的理论得出来的值相比小得多,P.O.Fedichev考虑凝聚体处在外势中和各相异性的特点,理论计算的结果与MIT(麻省理工学院)实验组测量的实验值接近,但还是有一定的差距。考虑到非凝聚粒子的影响,发现MIT组测得的实验值并不是临界速度,而是准粒子的速度,实际临界速度比测得的速度要大。估算了准粒子的有效质量,并用碰撞模型对MIT组测得的实验值进行了修正。Jun Suzuki考虑了非凝聚态粒子的影响,计算出的临界速度的理论值与修正后的MIT组的实验结果相符。     

玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体干涉现象的数值模拟

采用含时非线性薛定谔方程的数值解法模拟了两种情况下玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体的演化.一种是在初始状态中有两个包含粒子数差别很大、在空间上可区分的玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体的情况;另一种是一个玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体被外力一分为二后在自由空间及约束势阱中继续演化的情况. 关键词：     

Bose-Einstein condensation into nonequilibrium States studied by condensate focusing

We report the formation of Bose-Einstein condensates into nonequilibrium states. Our condensates are much longer than equilibrium condensates with the same number of atoms, show strong phase fluctuations, and have a dynamical evolution similar to that of quadrupole shape oscillations of regular condensates. The condensates emerge in elongated traps as the result of local thermalization when the nucleation time is short compared to the axial oscillation time. We introduce condensate focusing as a new method to extract the phase-coherence length of Bose-Einstein condensates.     

Dynamical superfluid-insulator transition in a chain of weakly coupled bose-Einstein condensates

We predict a dynamical classical superfluid-insulator transition in a Bose-Einstein condensate trapped in an optical and a magnetic potential. In the tight-binding limit, this system realizes an array of weakly coupled condensates driven by an external harmonic field. For small displacements of the parabolic trap about the equilibrium position, the condensates coherently oscillate in the array. For large displacements, the condensates remain localized on the side of the harmonic trap with a randomization of the relative phases. The superfluid-insulator transition is due to a discrete modulational instability, occurring when the condensate center of mass velocity is larger than a critical value.