We revisit the dynamics of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a double-well potential, from the regime of Josephson plasma oscillations to the self-trapping regime, by means of the Bogoliubov quasiparticle projection method. For a very small imbalance between the left and right wells only the lowest Bogoliubov mode is significantly occupied. In this regime the system performs plasma oscillations at the corresponding frequency, and the evolution of the condensate is characterized by a periodic transfer of population between the ground and the first excited state. As the initial imbalance is increased, more excited modes---though initially not macroscopically occupied---get coupled during the evolution of the system. Since their population also varies with time, the frequency spectrum of the imbalance turns out to be still peaked around a single frequency, which is continuously shifted towards lower values. The nonlinear mixing between Bogoliubov modes eventually drives the system into the the self-trapping regime, when the population of the ground state can be transferred completely to the excited states at some time during the evolution. For simplicity, here we consider a one-dimensional setup, but the results are expected to hold also in higher dimensions.
In this work, our primary goal has been to explore the range of validity of two-mode models for Bose-Einstein condensates in double-well potentials. Our derivation, like others, uses symmetric and antisymmetric condensate basis functions for the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. In what we call an ``improved two-mode model'' (I2M), the tunneling coupling energy explicitly includes a nonlinear interaction term, which has been given previously in the literature but not widely appreciated. We show that when the atom number (and hence the extent of the wave function) in each well vary appreciably with time, the nonlinear interaction term produces a temporal change in the tunneling energy or rate, which has not previously been considered to our knowledge. In addition, we obtain a parameter, labeled ``interaction tunneling,'' that produces a decrease of the tunneling energy when the wave functions in the two wells overlap to some extent. Especially for larger values of the nonlinear interaction term, results from this model produce better agreement with numerical solutions of the time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii equation in one and three dimensions, as compared with models that have no interaction term in the tunneling energy. The usefulness of this model is demonstrated by good agreement with recent experimental results for the tunneling oscillation frequency [Albiez et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 010402 (2005)]. We also present equations and results for a multimode approach, and use the I2M model to obtain modified equations for the second-quantized version of the Bose-Einstein double-well problem.
In this thesis we study and characterize the behavior of Bose-Einstein condensates in a BJJ, using two different theoretical formalisms: the mean-field approximation (with the Gross-Pitaevskii equation) and many-body calculations (based on Bose-Hubbard models). \n\t\t\t\t With single-component Bose-Einstein condensates, we have focused on the study of the structure of the ground state as a function of the system parameters. We have looked for strongly correlated states, that cannot be described with mean-field theories, and we have proposed a variational wave function that captures the structure of the ground state for a broad interval of the system parameters. We have also studied the nonlinear effects of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation, visible when atom-atom interactions are strong. \n\t\t\t\t In the case of binary mixtures of Bose-Einstein condensates we have performed an intensive study of the different regimes that can arise and in which conditions. The standard two-mode approximation is one of the most used in the study of the Josephson effect, as it gives simple analytic equations that capture, to a great extend, the behavior of the system. When the link between condensates is not weak enough, one has to consider a correction to this approximation, namely, the improved two-mode approximation. In this thesis, we have derived this last approximation for the binary mixture and we have checked its validity comparing it with numerical simulations of the three-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation. Moreover, as the Josephson dynamics is almost one-dimensional, we have considered the two most common reductions of the dimensionality of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. In this case, we have also compared, using simulations, these one-dimensional reductions with the three-dimensional equation. \n\t\t\t\t We have also studied spinor condensates in an external BJJ. We have focused on condensates formed by atoms with spin
F=1, which can be in any of the three internal states
mF=0,pm1. Furthermore, in contrast to the binary mixture, spin interchange is allowed, so that the number of particles of each component becomes a dynamic variable. First, we have studied this system within the mean-field framework, using the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. We have derived the two-mode approximation equations and we have focused in studying the decoupling of the Josephson effect and the population transfer dynamics. In this case, we also compare the results with numerical simulations of the three dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation. Second, we have studied the spinor BJJ using the Bose-Hubbard formalism, because some features of quantum fluctuations are better captured than with the mean-field. We have characterized the ground state, paying special attention to the regions where it is strongly correlated. We have seen how the spin singlet formation (strongly correlated state between two particles) affects the structure of the ground state. \n\n\t\t\t\t Finally, we have studied finite temperature effects on spinor Bose-Einstein condensates in the presence of a magnetic field, for two different cases. First, we have analyzed a condensate formed by
F=1 atoms with contact interactions. We have considered that the condensate was formed by atoms in the internal state
mF=0 and we have studied the dependence of the fluctuations of the other two components
mF=pm1 as a function of temperature. We have used the Bogoliubov formalism applied to an homogeneous system, and then, we have generalized the result to an harmonic trap by using the local density approximation. Second, we have studied a condensate formed by particles with
F=3 with contact interactions and moreover, dipolar interactions. In a similar way as the previous case, we consider that the condensate is formed by particles with
mF=−3 and we study the fluctuations in
mF=−2 and
mF=−3.
We study the population dynamics of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a double-well potential throughout the crossover from Josephson dynamics to hydrodynamics. At barriers higher than the chemical potential, we observe slow oscillations well described by a Josephson model. In the limit of low barriers, the fundamental frequency agrees with a simple hydrodynamic model, but we also observe a second, higher frequency. A full numerical simulation of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation giving the frequencies and amplitudes of the observed modes between these two limits is compared to the data and is used to understand the origin of the higher mode. Implications for trapped matter-wave interferometers are discussed.
Using the mean-field Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation we study the evolution of Josephson current in a repulsive Bose-Einstein condensate in an optical-lattice potential initiated by a sudden displacement of the trapping potential. Similarly, we also study the evolution of quantum tunneling in a double-well potential in one and three dimensions initiated by a trap displacement leading to a periodic oscillation of the condensate across the barrier which could be observed experimentally. The frequencies of Josephson current found directly from the solution of the GP equation are in agreement with the experiment by Cataliotti et al. [2001 Science 293 843]. The breakdown of the Josephson current for a large trap displacement is also in agreement with another experiment by Cataliotti et al. [2003 New J. Phys. 5 71]. PACS numbers: 03.75.Lm, 03.75.KkQuantum tunneling and Josephson current in Bose-Einstein condensates 2 1.