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:2007.03766 · Physical Review Letters

Creation and Characterization of Matter-Wave Breathers

De Luo, Yifei Jin, Jason Nguyen, Boris A. Malomed, Oleksandr V. Marchukov, Vladimir Yurovsky, Vanja Dunjko, Maxim Olshanii, Randall G. Hulet

Published Oct 30, 2020• 45 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We report the creation of quasi-1D excited matter-wave solitons, "breathers," by quenching the strength of the interactions in a Bose-Einstein condensate with attractive interactions. We characterize the resulting breathing dynamics and quantify the effects of the aspect ratio of the confining potential, the strength of the quench, and the proximity of the 1D-3D crossover for the two-soliton breather. Furthermore, we demonstrate the complex dynamics of a three-soliton breather created by a stronger interaction quench. Our experimental results, which compare well with numerical simulations, provide a pathway for utilizing matter-wave breathers to explore quantum effects in large many-body systems.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.125.183902

Related papers

Excitation Modes of Bright Matter-Wave Solitons

Andrea Di Carli, Craig D. Colquhoun, Grant W. Henderson +5 more

We experimentally study the excitation modes of bright matter-wave solitons in a quasi-one-dimensional geometry. The solitons are created by quenching the interactions of a Bose-Einstein condensate of cesium atoms from repulsive to attractive in combination with a rapid reduction of the longitudinal confinement. A deliberate mismatch of quench parameters allows for the excitation of breathing modes of the emerging soliton and for the determination of its breathing frequency as a function of atom number and confinement. In addition, we observe signatures of higher-order solitons and the splitting of the wave packet after the quench. Our experimental results are compared to analytical predictions and to numerical simulations of the one-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation.

arXiv:1905.03690•Physical Review Letters•Sep 17, 2019•60 citations

Observation of Breathers in an Attractive Bose Gas

P. J. Everitt, M. A. Sooriyabandara, Gordon McDonald +8 more

In weakly nonlinear dispersive systems, solitons are spatially localized solutions which propagate without changing shape through a delicate balance between dispersion and self-focusing nonlinear effects. These states have been extensively studied in Bose-Einstein condensates, where interatomic interactions give rise to such nonlinearities. Previous experimental work with matter wave solitons has been limited to static intensity profiles. The creation of matter wave breathers--dispersionless soliton-like states with collective oscillation frequencies driven by attractive mean-field interactions--have been of theoretical interest due to the exotic behaviour of interacting matter wave systems. Here, using an attractively interacting Bose-Einstein condensate, we present the first observation of matter wave breathers. A comparison between experimental data and a cubic-quintic Gross-Pitaevskii equation suggests that previously unobserved three-body interactions may play an important role in this system. The observation of long lived stable breathers in an attractively interacting matter wave system indicates that there is a wide range of previously unobserved, but theoretically predicted, effects that are now experimentally accessible.

arXiv:1509.06844•Sep 23, 2015•15 citations

Solitons and Breathers in Bose-Einstein Condensates

Henry Luo

Solitons are non-dispersive wave packets that balance the wave dispersion with a focusing nonlinearity. They maintain their shape and velocity after collisions with other solitons, owing to the integrability of the underlying nonlinear partial differential equations. They appear in various physical systems, such as water waves, light waves in optical fiber, and matter waves. In our laboratory, we study solitons and their interactions in a Bose-Einstein condensate with an attractive nonlinearity, trapped in a quasi-one-dimensional waveguide. We investigate the collisions of a pair of solitons and explore the relative phase implications on the boundary of integrability. We study soliton train formation with the quench of the nonlinearity strength, and interactions between neighboring solitons in the train. We form a composite soliton, known as a breather, where multiple solitons overlap and the wavefunction ``breathes'' in time. We also explore the response of an elongated condensate to an external modulation of the nonlinearity. These experiments characterize the mean-field descriptions of solitons and Bose-Einstein condensates and explore the boundaries between the mean-field theory and quantum many-body theory.

•Apr 30, 2021•0 citations

Decoherence of Matter-Wave Breathers in Lithium Bose Einstein-Condensates

eva Jin

The experimental work presented in this thesis studies and characterizes decoherence of excited matter-wave solitons, known as breathers, in neutral lithium-7 BECs. Motivated by the rich pool of theoretical predictions for beyond mean-field physics, and recent work in our lab which experimentally realized the production of breathers, we study the lifetime and decay of breathers in a one-dimensional (1D) wave guide. We report measurements of decoherence and dissociation of breathers in a quasi- 1D geometry, and attribute the dissociation features to three-body loss by comparing against numerical results from the 1D Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) simulations in the mean- field approximation. We find that in the low atomic density regime for breathers, breathers no longer dissociate and deviate from the GP simulation results. In this regime, the breather damps out and embodies signatures of relaxation associated with beyond mean-field number fluctuations.

•Jul 9, 2024•0 citations

Experimental Observation of Single- and Multisite Matter-Wave Solitons in an Optical Accordion Lattice

Robbie Cruickshank, Francesco Lorenzi, Arthur La Rooij +5 more

We report the experimental observation of discrete bright matter-wave solitons with attractive interaction in an optical lattice. Using an accordion lattice with adjustable spacing, we prepare a Bose-Einstein condensate of cesium atoms across a defined number of lattice sites. By quenching the interaction strength and the trapping potential, we generate both single-site and multisite solitons. Our results reveal the existence and characteristics of these solitons across a range of lattice depths and spacings. We identify stable regions of the solitons based on interaction strength and lattice properties, and compare these findings with theoretical predictions. The experimental results qualitatively agree with a Gaussian variational model and match quantitatively with numerical simulations of the three-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation extended with a quintic term to account for the loss of atoms. Our results provide insights into the quench dynamics and collapse mechanisms, paving the way for further studies of transport and dynamical properties of matter-wave solitons in lattices.

arXiv:2504.11046•Physical Review Letters•Oct 16, 2025•6 citations

Soliton breathers in spin-1 Bose—Einstein condensates

Shen-Tong Ji, Pei-Gen Yan, Xue‐Shen Liu

We consider a spin-1 Bose—Einstein condensate trapped in a harmonic potential with different nonlinearity coefficients. We illustrate the dynamics of soliton breathers in two-component and three-component states by numerically solving 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.

Chinese Physics B•Mar 1, 2014•3 citations
We report the creation of quasi-1D excited matter-wave solitons, "breathers," by quenching the strength of the interactions in a Bose-Einstein condensate with attractive interactions. We characterize the resulting breathing dynamics and quantify the effects of the aspect ratio of the confining potential, the strength of the quench, and the proximity of the 1D-3D crossover for the two-soliton breather. Furthermore, we demonstrate the complex dynamics of a three-soliton breather created by a stronger interaction quench. Our experimental results, which compare well with numerical simulations, provide a pathway for utilizing matter-wave breathers to explore quantum effects in large many-body systems.
We experimentally study the excitation modes of bright matter-wave solitons in a quasi-one-dimensional geometry. The solitons are created by quenching the interactions of a Bose-Einstein condensate of cesium atoms from repulsive to attractive in combination with a rapid reduction of the longitudinal confinement. A deliberate mismatch of quench parameters allows for the excitation of breathing modes of the emerging soliton and for the determination of its breathing frequency as a function of atom number and confinement. In addition, we observe signatures of higher-order solitons and the splitting of the wave packet after the quench. Our experimental results are compared to analytical predictions and to numerical simulations of the one-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation.
In weakly nonlinear dispersive systems, solitons are spatially localized solutions which propagate without changing shape through a delicate balance between dispersion and self-focusing nonlinear effects. These states have been extensively studied in Bose-Einstein condensates, where interatomic interactions give rise to such nonlinearities. Previous experimental work with matter wave solitons has been limited to static intensity profiles. The creation of matter wave breathers--dispersionless soliton-like states with collective oscillation frequencies driven by attractive mean-field interactions--have been of theoretical interest due to the exotic behaviour of interacting matter wave systems. Here, using an attractively interacting Bose-Einstein condensate, we present the first observation of matter wave breathers. A comparison between experimental data and a cubic-quintic Gross-Pitaevskii equation suggests that previously unobserved three-body interactions may play an important role in this system. The observation of long lived stable breathers in an attractively interacting matter wave system indicates that there is a wide range of previously unobserved, but theoretically predicted, effects that are now experimentally accessible.
Solitons are non-dispersive wave packets that balance the wave dispersion with a focusing nonlinearity. They maintain their shape and velocity after collisions with other solitons, owing to the integrability of the underlying nonlinear partial differential equations. They appear in various physical systems, such as water waves, light waves in optical fiber, and matter waves. In our laboratory, we study solitons and their interactions in a Bose-Einstein condensate with an attractive nonlinearity, trapped in a quasi-one-dimensional waveguide. We investigate the collisions of a pair of solitons and explore the relative phase implications on the boundary of integrability. We study soliton train formation with the quench of the nonlinearity strength, and interactions between neighboring solitons in the train. We form a composite soliton, known as a breather, where multiple solitons overlap and the wavefunction ``breathes'' in time. We also explore the response of an elongated condensate to an external modulation of the nonlinearity. These experiments characterize the mean-field descriptions of solitons and Bose-Einstein condensates and explore the boundaries between the mean-field theory and quantum many-body theory.
The experimental work presented in this thesis studies and characterizes decoherence of excited matter-wave solitons, known as breathers, in neutral lithium-7 BECs. Motivated by the rich pool of theoretical predictions for beyond mean-field physics, and recent work in our lab which experimentally realized the production of breathers, we study the lifetime and decay of breathers in a one-dimensional (1D) wave guide. We report measurements of decoherence and dissociation of breathers in a quasi- 1D geometry, and attribute the dissociation features to three-body loss by comparing against numerical results from the 1D Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) simulations in the mean- field approximation. We find that in the low atomic density regime for breathers, breathers no longer dissociate and deviate from the GP simulation results. In this regime, the breather damps out and embodies signatures of relaxation associated with beyond mean-field number fluctuations.
We report the experimental observation of discrete bright matter-wave solitons with attractive interaction in an optical lattice. Using an accordion lattice with adjustable spacing, we prepare a Bose-Einstein condensate of cesium atoms across a defined number of lattice sites. By quenching the interaction strength and the trapping potential, we generate both single-site and multisite solitons. Our results reveal the existence and characteristics of these solitons across a range of lattice depths and spacings. We identify stable regions of the solitons based on interaction strength and lattice properties, and compare these findings with theoretical predictions. The experimental results qualitatively agree with a Gaussian variational model and match quantitatively with numerical simulations of the three-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation extended with a quintic term to account for the loss of atoms. Our results provide insights into the quench dynamics and collapse mechanisms, paving the way for further studies of transport and dynamical properties of matter-wave solitons in lattices.
We consider a spin-1 Bose—Einstein condensate trapped in a harmonic potential with different nonlinearity coefficients. We illustrate the dynamics of soliton breathers in two-component and three-component states by numerically solving 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.