Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1211.2680 · Physical Review A

Stability of spherically trapped three-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensates against macroscopic fragmentation

Philipp Bader, Uwe R. Fischer

Published Feb 28, 2013• 4 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We consider spherically trapped Bose gases in three dimensions with contact interactions and investigate whether the Bose-Einstein condensate at zero temperature is stable against macroscopic fragmentation into a small number of mutually incoherent pieces. Our results are expressed in terms of a dimensionless interaction measure proportional to the Thomas-Fermi parameter. It is shown that while three-dimensional condensates are inherently much more stable against macroscopic fragmentation than their quasi-one- and quasi-two-dimensional counterparts, they fragment at a sufficiently large value of the dimensionless interaction measure, which we determine both fully numerically and semianalytically from a continuum limit of large particle numbers.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.87.023632

Related papers

Interacting trapped bosons yield fragmented condensate states in low dimensions

Uwe R. Fischer, Philipp Bader

We investigate the level population statistics and degree of coherence encoded in the single-particle density matrix of harmonically trapped low-dimensional [quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) or quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D)] Bose gases with repulsive contact interactions. Using a variational analysis, we derive fragmentation of the condensate in the weakly confining directions into two (quasi-1D) and three (quasi-2D) mutually incoherent macroscopic pieces, upon increasing a dimensionless interaction measure beyond a critical value. Fragmented condensate many-body states in low-dimensional systems therefore occur well before the thermodynamic limit of infinite extension is reached, in which phase fluctuations of the matter wave field create an infinite number of nonmacroscopic fragments.

arXiv:0908.2026•Physical Review A•Jul 9, 2010•35 citations

Particle Fluctuations in Mesoscopic Bose Systems

Vyacheslav I. Yukalov

Particle fluctuations in mesoscopic Bose systems of arbitrary spatial dimensionality are considered. Both ideal Bose gases and interacting Bose systems are studied in the regions above the Bose–Einstein condensation temperature T c , as well as below this temperature. The strength of particle fluctuations defines whether the system is stable or not. Stability conditions depend on the spatial dimensionality d and on the confining dimension D of the system. The consideration shows that mesoscopic systems, experiencing Bose–Einstein condensation, are stable when: (i) ideal Bose gas is confined in a rectangular box of spatial dimension d > 2 above T c and in a box of d > 4 below T c ; (ii) ideal Bose gas is confined in a power-law trap of a confining dimension D > 2 above T c and of a confining dimension D > 4 below T c ; (iii) the interacting Bose system is confined in a rectangular box of dimension d > 2 above T c , while below T c , particle interactions stabilize the Bose-condensed system, making it stable for d = 3 ; (iv) nonlocal interactions diminish the condensation temperature, as compared with the fluctuations in a system with contact interactions.

arXiv:1905.02985•Symmetry•May 1, 2019•8 citations

Stability of trapped Bose-Einstein condensates

F. Kh. Abdullaev, A. Gammal, Lauro Tomio +1 more

In three-dimensional trapped Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), described by the time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii-Ginzburg equation, we study the effect of initial conditions on stability using a Gaussian variational approach and exact numerical simulations. We also discuss the validity of the criterion for stability suggested by Vakhitov and Kolokolov. The maximum initial chirp (initial focusing defocusing of cloud) that can lead a stable condensate to collapse even before the number of atoms reaches its critical limit is obtained for several specific cases. When we consider two- and three-body nonlinear terms, with negative cubic and positive quintic terms, we have the conditions for the existence of two phases in the condensate. In this case, the magnitude of the oscillations between the two phases are studied considering sufficient large initial chirps. The occurrence of collapse in a BEC with repulsive two-body interaction is also shown to be possible.

arXiv:cond-mat/0102018•Physical Review A•Mar 12, 2001•201 citations

Bose-Einstein in two -dimensional traps

Juan Pablo Fernández

The fact that two-dimensional interacting trapped systems do not undergo Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC) in the thermodynamic limit, though rigorously proved, is somewhat mysterious because all relevant limiting cases (zero temperature, small atom numbers, noninteracting particles) suggest otherwise. We study the possibility of condensation in finite trapped two-dimensional systems. We first consider the ideal gas, which incorporates the inhomogeneity and finite size of experimental systems and can be solved exactly. A semiclassical self-consistent approximation gives us a feel for the temperature scales; diagonalization of the one-body density matrix confirms that the condensation is into a single state. We squeeze a three-dimensional system and see how it crosses over into two dimensions. Mean-field theory, our main tool for the study of interacting systems, prescribes coupled equations for the condensate and the thermal cloud: the condensate receives a full quantum-mechanical treatment, while the noncondensate is described by different schemes of varying sophistication. We analyze the T = 0 case and its approach to the thermodynamic limit, finding a criterion for the dimensionality crossover and obtaining the coupling constant of the two-dimensional system that results from squeezing a three-dimensional trap. We next apply a semiclassical Hartree-Fock approximation to purely two-dimensional finite gases and find that they can be described either with or without a condensate; this continues to be true in the thermodynamic limit. The condensed solutions have a lower free energy at all temperatures but neglect the presence of phonons within the system and cease to exist when we allow for this possibility. The uncondensed solutions, in turn, are valid under a more rigorous scheme but have consistency problems of their own. Path-integral Monte Carlo simulations provide an essentially exact description of finite interacting gases and enable us to study highly anisotropic systems at finite temperature. We find that our two-dimensional Hartree-Fock solutions accurately mimic the surface density profile and predict the condensate fraction of these systems; the equivalent interaction parameter is smaller than that dictated by the T = 0 analysis. We conclude that, in two-dimensional isotropic finite trapped systems and in highly compressed three-dimensional gases, there is a phenomenon resembling a condensation into a single state.

•Jan 1, 2004•0 citations

Collapse and stable self-trapping for Bose-Einstein condensates with 1/rb -type attractive interatomic interaction potential

Pavel M. Lushnikov

We consider dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates with long-range attractive interaction proportional to $1/{r}^{b}$ and arbitrary angular dependence. It is shown exactly that collapse of a Bose-Einstein condensate without contact interactions is possible only for $b\ensuremath{\geqslant}2$. The case $b=2$ is critical and requires the number of particles to exceed a critical value to allow collapse. The critical collapse in that case is a strong one, trapping into the collapsing region a finite number of particles. The case $b>2$ is supercritical with an expected weak collapse which traps a rapidly decreasing number of particles during approach to collapse. For $b<2$ a singularity at $r=0$ is not strong enough to allow collapse but an attractive $1/{r}^{b}$ interaction admits stable self-trapping (a stable three-dimensional soliton solution) even in the absence of an external trapping potential.

arXiv:1002.1469•Physical Review A•Aug 25, 2010•31 citations

Extension of the Thomas-Fermi approximation for trapped Bose-Einstein condensates with an arbitrary number of atoms

Antonio Muñoz Mateo, V. Delgado

By incorporating the zero-point energy contribution we derive simple and accurate extensions of the usual Thomas-Fermi (TF) expressions for the ground-state properties of trapped Bose-Einstein condensates that remain valid for an arbitrary number of atoms in the mean-field regime. Specifically, we obtain approximate analytical expressions for the ground-state properties of spherical, cigar-shaped, and disk-shaped condensates that reduce to the correct analytical formulas in both the TF and the perturbative regimes, and remain valid and accurate in between these two limiting cases. Mean-field quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) and -2D condensates appear as simple particular cases of our formulation. The validity of our results is corroborated by an independent numerical computation based on the 3D Gross-Pitaevskii equation.

arXiv:cond-mat/0701695•Physical Review A•Dec 20, 2006•27 citations
We consider spherically trapped Bose gases in three dimensions with contact interactions and investigate whether the Bose-Einstein condensate at zero temperature is stable against macroscopic fragmentation into a small number of mutually incoherent pieces. Our results are expressed in terms of a dimensionless interaction measure proportional to the Thomas-Fermi parameter. It is shown that while three-dimensional condensates are inherently much more stable against macroscopic fragmentation than their quasi-one- and quasi-two-dimensional counterparts, they fragment at a sufficiently large value of the dimensionless interaction measure, which we determine both fully numerically and semianalytically from a continuum limit of large particle numbers.
We investigate the level population statistics and degree of coherence encoded in the single-particle density matrix of harmonically trapped low-dimensional [quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) or quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D)] Bose gases with repulsive contact interactions. Using a variational analysis, we derive fragmentation of the condensate in the weakly confining directions into two (quasi-1D) and three (quasi-2D) mutually incoherent macroscopic pieces, upon increasing a dimensionless interaction measure beyond a critical value. Fragmented condensate many-body states in low-dimensional systems therefore occur well before the thermodynamic limit of infinite extension is reached, in which phase fluctuations of the matter wave field create an infinite number of nonmacroscopic fragments.
Particle fluctuations in mesoscopic Bose systems of arbitrary spatial dimensionality are considered. Both ideal Bose gases and interacting Bose systems are studied in the regions above the Bose–Einstein condensation temperature T c , as well as below this temperature. The strength of particle fluctuations defines whether the system is stable or not. Stability conditions depend on the spatial dimensionality d and on the confining dimension D of the system. The consideration shows that mesoscopic systems, experiencing Bose–Einstein condensation, are stable when: (i) ideal Bose gas is confined in a rectangular box of spatial dimension d > 2 above T c and in a box of d > 4 below T c ; (ii) ideal Bose gas is confined in a power-law trap of a confining dimension D > 2 above T c and of a confining dimension D > 4 below T c ; (iii) the interacting Bose system is confined in a rectangular box of dimension d > 2 above T c , while below T c , particle interactions stabilize the Bose-condensed system, making it stable for d = 3 ; (iv) nonlocal interactions diminish the condensation temperature, as compared with the fluctuations in a system with contact interactions.
In three-dimensional trapped Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), described by the time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii-Ginzburg equation, we study the effect of initial conditions on stability using a Gaussian variational approach and exact numerical simulations. We also discuss the validity of the criterion for stability suggested by Vakhitov and Kolokolov. The maximum initial chirp (initial focusing defocusing of cloud) that can lead a stable condensate to collapse even before the number of atoms reaches its critical limit is obtained for several specific cases. When we consider two- and three-body nonlinear terms, with negative cubic and positive quintic terms, we have the conditions for the existence of two phases in the condensate. In this case, the magnitude of the oscillations between the two phases are studied considering sufficient large initial chirps. The occurrence of collapse in a BEC with repulsive two-body interaction is also shown to be possible.
The fact that two-dimensional interacting trapped systems do not undergo Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC) in the thermodynamic limit, though rigorously proved, is somewhat mysterious because all relevant limiting cases (zero temperature, small atom numbers, noninteracting particles) suggest otherwise. We study the possibility of condensation in finite trapped two-dimensional systems. We first consider the ideal gas, which incorporates the inhomogeneity and finite size of experimental systems and can be solved exactly. A semiclassical self-consistent approximation gives us a feel for the temperature scales; diagonalization of the one-body density matrix confirms that the condensation is into a single state. We squeeze a three-dimensional system and see how it crosses over into two dimensions. Mean-field theory, our main tool for the study of interacting systems, prescribes coupled equations for the condensate and the thermal cloud: the condensate receives a full quantum-mechanical treatment, while the noncondensate is described by different schemes of varying sophistication. We analyze the T = 0 case and its approach to the thermodynamic limit, finding a criterion for the dimensionality crossover and obtaining the coupling constant of the two-dimensional system that results from squeezing a three-dimensional trap. We next apply a semiclassical Hartree-Fock approximation to purely two-dimensional finite gases and find that they can be described either with or without a condensate; this continues to be true in the thermodynamic limit. The condensed solutions have a lower free energy at all temperatures but neglect the presence of phonons within the system and cease to exist when we allow for this possibility. The uncondensed solutions, in turn, are valid under a more rigorous scheme but have consistency problems of their own. Path-integral Monte Carlo simulations provide an essentially exact description of finite interacting gases and enable us to study highly anisotropic systems at finite temperature. We find that our two-dimensional Hartree-Fock solutions accurately mimic the surface density profile and predict the condensate fraction of these systems; the equivalent interaction parameter is smaller than that dictated by the T = 0 analysis. We conclude that, in two-dimensional isotropic finite trapped systems and in highly compressed three-dimensional gases, there is a phenomenon resembling a condensation into a single state.
We consider dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates with long-range attractive interaction proportional to 1/rb1/{r}^{b}1/rb and arbitrary angular dependence. It is shown exactly that collapse of a Bose-Einstein condensate without contact interactions is possible only for $b\ensuremath{\geqslant}2$. The case b=2b=2b=2 is critical and requires the number of particles to exceed a critical value to allow collapse. The critical collapse in that case is a strong one, trapping into the collapsing region a finite number of particles. The case b>2b>2b>2 is supercritical with an expected weak collapse which traps a rapidly decreasing number of particles during approach to collapse. For b<2b<2b<2 a singularity at r=0r=0r=0 is not strong enough to allow collapse but an attractive 1/rb1/{r}^{b}1/rb interaction admits stable self-trapping (a stable three-dimensional soliton solution) even in the absence of an external trapping potential.
By incorporating the zero-point energy contribution we derive simple and accurate extensions of the usual Thomas-Fermi (TF) expressions for the ground-state properties of trapped Bose-Einstein condensates that remain valid for an arbitrary number of atoms in the mean-field regime. Specifically, we obtain approximate analytical expressions for the ground-state properties of spherical, cigar-shaped, and disk-shaped condensates that reduce to the correct analytical formulas in both the TF and the perturbative regimes, and remain valid and accurate in between these two limiting cases. Mean-field quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) and -2D condensates appear as simple particular cases of our formulation. The validity of our results is corroborated by an independent numerical computation based on the 3D Gross-Pitaevskii equation.