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arXiv:2208.10585 · Communications Physics

Observation of dense collisional soliton complexes in a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate

Sean M. Mossman, G. C. Katsimiga, S. I. Mistakidis, A. Romero-Ros, Thomas M. Bersano, Peter Schmelcher, P. G. Kevrekidis, Peter Engels

Published May 22, 2024• 21 citations
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Abstract

Abstract Solitons are nonlinear solitary waves which maintain their shape over time and through collisions, occurring in a variety of nonlinear media from plasmas to optics. We present an experimental and theoretical study of hydrodynamic phenomena in a two-component atomic Bose-Einstein condensate where a soliton array emerges from the imprinting of a periodic spin pattern by a microwave pulse-based winding technique. We observe the ensuing dynamics which include shape deformations, the emergence of dark-antidark solitons, apparent spatial frequency tripling, and decay and revival of contrast related to soliton collisions. For the densest arrays, we obtain soliton complexes where solitons undergo continued collisions for long evolution times providing an avenue towards the investigation of soliton gases in atomic condensates.

DOI
10.1038/s42005-024-01659-w

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Abstract Solitons are nonlinear solitary waves which maintain their shape over time and through collisions, occurring in a variety of nonlinear media from plasmas to optics. We present an experimental and theoretical study of hydrodynamic phenomena in a two-component atomic Bose-Einstein condensate where a soliton array emerges from the imprinting of a periodic spin pattern by a microwave pulse-based winding technique. We observe the ensuing dynamics which include shape deformations, the emergence of dark-antidark solitons, apparent spatial frequency tripling, and decay and revival of contrast related to soliton collisions. For the densest arrays, we obtain soliton complexes where solitons undergo continued collisions for long evolution times providing an avenue towards the investigation of soliton gases in atomic condensates.
Summary form only given. Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) of weakly interacting gases allow for the new regime of nonlinear atom optics. Of special interest are macroscopically excited states like dark solitons or vortices. Solitons, as particle like excitations of matter wave fields, provide a link from condensate physics to fluid mechanics, nonlinear optics and fundamental particle physics. Dark solitons in matter waves are characterized by a local density minimum and, a steep phase gradient of the wavefunction at the position of the minimum. We report on experimental and theoretical investigation of dark solitons in BECs of /sup 87/Rb which are produced by the method of phase imprinting. A highly anisotropic confining potential allows us to be close to the (quasi) 1D situation where dark solitons are expected to be dynamically stable. By monitoring the evolution of the density profile we observe the evolution of density minima travelling at a smaller velocity than the speed of sound. By comparison to analytical and numerical solutions of the 3D Gross-Pitaevskii equation for our experimental conditions we identify these density minima to be moving dark solitons. We have studied in detail the creation and the dynamics of dark solitons as a function of evolution time and imprinted phase.
We experimentally investigate the dynamics of spin solitary waves (magnetic solitons) in a harmonically trapped, binary superfluid mixture. We measure the in situ density of each pseudospin component and their relative local phase via an interferometric technique we developed and as such, fully characterize the magnetic solitons while they undergo oscillatory motion in the trap. Magnetic solitons exhibit nondispersive, dissipationless longtime dynamics. By imprinting multiple magnetic solitons in our ultracold gas sample, we engineer binary collisions between solitons of either the same or opposite magnetization and map out their trajectories.
During the last decade the physics of ultracold quantum gases has matured into a highly active and versatile field of research. Experiments dedicated to the physics of Bose-Einstein condensates have been performed and diverse phenomena, which are distinguished by fundamentally different regimes of interaction, can be investigated. Particularly solitons, characterized as non-spreading wavepackets, are stabilized against dispersion by a suitable non-linear interaction and can propagate in a condensate[1,2]. In the present work the dynamical evolution of long-lived dark solitons has been studied as a paradigm of non-linear physics for the first time. We have been able to observe oscillations of dark solitons in elongated Bose-Einstein condensates and good agreement with the theoretically predicted oscillation frequency of ω/√2 has been obtained [1]. Moreover the results of detailed studies of the collision of two dark solitons distinguished by different depths are presented. This particular feature enables the identification of the individual solitons beyond the actual collision process and as a central result we show shown that these peculiar entities interpenetrate without significantly influencing each other [3]. The theoretical description of solitons as weakly interacting quasi particles is in good agreement with these findings. Continuative studies on vectorial “dark-bright” solitons and their dynamical properties complement the investigations on dark solitons.
Collisional dynamics of solitary matter waves of superfluid hard core bosons, consisting of dark and bright non-linear waves as well as supersonic periodic trains, reveals remarkable richness and coherence, with the phase of the condensate playing a key role. Depending upon the condensate density and their relative velocity, two distinctive collisional types emerge: the intuitively expected repulsive collisions due to the hard core boson constraint; and, also collisions in which they "pass through" one another. In addition to confirming the soliton status of both bright and dark solitary waves, our studies reveal a variety of multi-solitons including multiple families of breathers, that can be produced and precisely controlled via quantum phase engineering.
Soliton is an exotic topological excitation, and it widely exists in various nonlinear systems, such as nonlinear optics, Bose-Einstein condensates, classical and quantum fluids, plasma, magnetic materials, etc. A stable soliton can propagate with constant amplitude and velocity, and maintain its shape. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional solitons are usually hard to stabilize, and how to realize stable two-dimensional or three-dimensional solitons has aroused the great interest of the researchers. Ring dark soliton is a kind of two-dimensional soliton, which was first theoretically predicted and experimentally realized in nonlinear optical systems. Compared with the usual two-dimensional solitons, ring dark solitons have good stability and rich dynamical behaviors. Owing to their highly controllable capability, Bose-Einstein condensates provide a new platform for studying the ring dark solitons. Based on the recent progress in Bose-Einstein condensates and solitons, this paper reviews the research on the analytic solutions, stability, as well as the decay dynamics of ring dark solitons in Bose-Einstein condensates. A transform method is introduced, which generalizes the analytic solutions of ring dark solitons from a homogeneous system with time-independent nonlinearity to a harmonically trapped inhomogeneous system with time-dependent nonlinearity. The stability phase diagram of the ring dark soliton under deformation perturbations is discussed by numerically solving the Gross-Pitaevskii equations in the mean-field theory. A method of enhancing the stability of ring dark solitons by periodically modulating the nonlinear coefficients is introduced. It is also shown that the periodically modulated nonlinear coefficient can be experimentally realized by the Feshbach resonance technology. In addition, we discuss the dynamics of the decay of ring dark solitons. It is found that the ring dark soliton can decay into various vortex clusters composed of vortices and antivortices. This opens a new avenue to the investigation of vortex dynamics and quantum turbulence. It is also found that the ring dark solitons combined with periodic modulated nonlinearity can give rise to the pattern formation, which is an interesting nonlinear phenomenon widely explored in all the fields of nature. Finally, some possible research subjects about ring dark solitons in future research are also discussed.