Quantum theory of a Bose-Einstein condensate out of equilibrium

Eprint Arxiv 0711 0397, 2007

We discuss the dynamics of a Bose-Einstein condensate of atoms which is suddenly coupled to a condensate of molecules by an optical or magnetic Feshbach resonance. Three limiting regimes are found and can be understood from the transient dynamics occuring for each pair of atoms. This transient dynamics can be summarised into a time-dependent shift and broadening of the molecular state. A simple Gross-Pitaevskii picture including this shift and broadening is proposed to describe the system in the three regimes. Finally, we suggest how to explore these regimes experimentally.

Physical Review A, 2006

We study a model for a two-mode atomic-molecular Bose--Einstein condensate. Starting with a classical analysis we determine the phase space fixed points of the system. It is found that bifurcations of the fixed points naturally separate the coupling parameter space into four regions. The different regions give rise to qualitatively different dynamics. We then show that this classification holds true for the quantum dynamics.

Optics Express, 2001

We study the equilibrium dynamics of a weakly interacting Bose-Einstein condensate trapped in a box. In our approach we use a semiclassical approximation similar to the description of a multi-mode laser. In dynamical equations derived from a full N -body quantum Hamiltonian we substitute all creation (and annihilation) operators (of a particle in a given box state) by appropriate c-number amplitudes. The set of nonlinear equations obtained in this way is solved numerically. We show that on the time scale of a few miliseconds the system exhibits relaxation -reaches an equilibrium with populations of different eigenstates fluctuating around their mean values.

Physical Review A, 2001

We consider a dilute homogenous atomic Bose-Einstein condensate with two non-degenerate internal energy levels. We discuss the case in which the two components achieve a state of chemical equilibrium in the presence of an external radiation field which couples the two states. The presence of the radiation field can result in new ground states for the condensate as a consequence of the lowering of the condensate energy due to the interaction energy with the field. We analyze the ground state energy as a function of the coupling constants for the two-body interactions, the Rabi frequency of the radiation field, and the detuning of the field. We also give explicit expressions for the quasiparticle excitation spectrum.

The phases of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) with light-induced spin-orbit coupling (SOC) are studied within the mean-field approximation. The mixed BEC phase, in which the system condenses in a superposition of two plane wave states, is found to be stable for sufficiently small light-atom coupling, becoming unstable in a continuous fashion with increasing light-atom coupling. The structure of the phase diagram at fixed chemical potential for bosons with SOC is shown to imply an unusual density dependence for a trapped mixed BEC phase, with the density of one dressed spin state increasing with increasing radius, providing a unique experimental signature of this state. The collective Bogoliubov sound mode is shown to also provide a signature of the mixed BEC state, vanishing as the boundary to the regime of phase separation is approached.

Physical Review A, 2002

Nonlinear coherent modes are the collective states of trapped Bose atoms, corresponding to different energy levels. These modes can be created starting from the ground state condensate that can be excited by means of a resonant alternating field. A thorough theory for the resonant excitation of the coherent modes is presented. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the feasibility of this process are found. Temporal behaviour of fractional populations and of relative phases exhibits dynamic critical phenomena on a critical line of the parametric manifold. The origin of these critical phenomena is elucidated by analyzing the structure of the phase space. An atomic cloud, containing the coherent modes, possesses several interesting features, such as interference patterns, interference current, spin squeezing, and massive entanglement. The developed theory suggests a generalization of resonant effects in optics to nonlinear systems of Bose-condensed atoms.

Physical Review A, 2000

We study the quantum coherent-tunneling between two Bose-Einstein condensates separated through an oscillating trap potential. The cases of slowly and rapidly varying in time trap potential are considered. In the case of a slowly varying trap we study the nonlinear resonances and chaos in the oscillations of the relative atomic population. Using the Melnikov function approach, we find the conditions for chaotic macroscopic quantum-tunneling phenomena to exists. Criteria for the onset of chaos are also given. We find the values of frequency and modulation amplitude which lead to chaos on oscillations in the relative population, for any given damping and the nonlinear atomic interaction. In the case of a rapidly varying trap we use the multiscale expansion method in the parameter ε = 1/Ω, where Ω is the fre-1 quency of modulations and we derive the averaged system of equations for the modes. The analysis of this system shows that new macroscopic quantum self trapping regions, in comparison with the constant trap case, exist.

Physical Review A, 2000

We apply the concepts of nonlinear guided-wave optics to a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) trapped in an external potential. As an example, we consider a parabolic double-well potential and derive coupled-mode equations for the complex amplitudes of the BEC macroscopic collective modes. Our equations describe different regimes of the condensate dynamics, including the nonlinear Josephson effect for any separation between the wells. We demonstrate macroscopic self-trapping for both repulsive and attractive interactions, and confirm our results by numerical simulations.

Physical Review A, 2005

We report on a measurement of splitting in the excitation spectrum of a condensate driven by an optical travelling wave. Experimental results are compared to a numerical solution of the Gross Pitaevskii equation, and analyzed by a simple two level model and by the more complete band theory, treating the driving beams as an optical lattice. In this picture, the splitting is a manifestation of the energy gap between neighboring bands that opens on the boundary of the Brillouin zone.

Physical Review A, 2013

We consider a binary Bose-Einstein condensate with linear and nonlinear interactions between its components, which emulate the spinor system with spin-orbit (SO) and Rabi couplings. For a relatively dense condensate, one-dimensional coupled equations with the nonpolynomial nonlinearity of both repulsive and attractive signs are derived from the three-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equations. Profiles of modes confined in an external potential under the action of the self-repulsion, and self-trapped solitons in the case of the self-attraction, are found in a numerical form and by means of analytical approximations. In the former case, the interplay of the SO and Rabi couplings with the repulsive nonlinearity strongly distorts shapes of the trapped modes, adding conspicuous sidelobes to them. In the case of the attractive nonlinearity, the most essential result is reduction of the collapse threshold under the action of the SO and Rabi couplings.