Collective modes are coherent excitations in Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs), and their study provides insight into the macroscopic quantum phenomena that govern these systems. Collective mode frequencies can be used to probe the properties of BECs, such as the trap geometry, the interatomic interactions, and the presence of defects; hence, it is essential to develop methods for high-resolution determination of collective mode frequencies. A standard technique consists of a single pulse of an external oscillatory field, which the authors denote Rabi-like due to the analogy with the field of nuclear magnetic resonances. In this work, the authors propose a method to achieve a better resolution than the Rabi-like protocol, which consists of two oscillating fields separated in time, which the authors call Ramsey-like. The authors focus on BECs in harmonic traps, considering mainly the quadrupole and breathing modes for different trap anisotropy values and comparing the results using single and double excitation periods. First, the authors employ a variational approach with a Thomas–Fermi ansatz, which gives rise to dynamical equations that are numerically solved. Then, the authors modeled the problem as a three-level system, offering a concise and alternative description of the same dynamics, enabling the idea of coherent control of these collective modes. Both approaches show that the Ramsey-like protocol provides a better resolution than the Rabi-like. This offers the possibility of measuring collective mode frequencies with higher precision, which is important in experiments where they are used as indirect measurements of properties that are difficult to probe.
Collective modes are coherent excitations in Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs), and their study provides insight into the macroscopic quantum phenomena that govern these systems. Collective mode frequencies can be used to probe the properties of BECs, such as the trap geometry, the interatomic interactions, and the presence of defects; hence, it is essential to develop methods for high-resolution determination of collective mode frequencies. A standard technique consists of a single pulse of an external oscillatory field, which the authors denote Rabi-like due to the analogy with the field of nuclear magnetic resonances. In this work, the authors propose a method to achieve a better resolution than the Rabi-like protocol, which consists of two oscillating fields separated in time, which the authors call Ramsey-like. The authors focus on BECs in harmonic traps, considering mainly the quadrupole and breathing modes for different trap anisotropy values and comparing the results using single and double excitation periods. First, the authors employ a variational approach with a Thomas–Fermi ansatz, which gives rise to dynamical equations that are numerically solved. Then, the authors modeled the problem as a three-level system, offering a concise and alternative description of the same dynamics, enabling the idea of coherent control of these collective modes. Both approaches show that the Ramsey-like protocol provides a better resolution than the Rabi-like. This offers the possibility of measuring collective mode frequencies with higher precision, which is important in experiments where they are used as indirect measurements of properties that are difficult to probe.
In this work, we propose a new approach to excite a Bose-Einstein condensate by introducing perturbations to the trapping potential through the separate fields technique, originally introduced by Norman F. Ramsey as an enhancement of I. I. Rabi method used for studying spin magnetic resonances. We employed the variational method based on the Thomas-Fermi wave function Ansatz to obtain dynamical equations governing the radii of a Bose-Einstein condensate when under external perturbations. The obtained dynamical equations allow us to construct the resonance curves for the collective modes of Bose- Einstein condensates, specifically focusing on the dipole, quadrupole and breathing modes. We observed that depending on whether the external signal is modulated by the Rabi or Ramsey procedure, the system behaves differently due to its inherent coherence, that reflects on the resonance curve of the collective modes, giving rise to the Ramsey fringes in a clear interference pattern, enabling a more precise frequency measurement. With the insights offered by the variational method, we introduced an alternative model to describe the dynamics of collective modes based on a three-level system, which proved to be consistent with the variational model. Moreover, the three-level model provided a framework for fostering the idea of coherent control by manipulating the population associated with collective modes through the application of perturbation pulses, such as a π-pulse and a π/2-pulse. This concept draws an analogy with interferometry in atoms. As a complementary study, we numerically solved the three-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation in order to take into account other types of potential fluctuations not considered in both variational and three-level models. Finally, to present ongoing analyses and their perspectives, we used the Rabi excitation protocol to study how the external modulation leads to specific routes in terms of generation of quantum turbulence. By examining the behavior of the system under various excitations, this research offers new perspectives in the non-equilibrium BEC field, fostering a deeper understanding of BEC dynamics and its potential applications in quantum interference and turbulence studies.
Bose–Einstein condensation represents a quintessential manifestation of quantum mechanics at macroscopic scales, where a dilute gas of bosonic atoms undergoes a phase transition to form a coherent matter wave. This study presents a comprehensive theoretical investigation of collective excitations and critical phenomena in interacting Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs). Beginning with the Gross–Pitaevskii equation , we develop the Bogoliubov theory of excitations yielding the spectrum , where is the free-particle energy and characterizes contact interactions. The spectrum reveals phonon behavior at low momenta with sound velocity , transitioning to free-particle dispersion at momenta exceeding the inverse healing length . Collective modes in harmonically trapped condensates are analyzed in the Thomas–Fermi regime, yielding breathing mode frequency and quadrupole frequency . Damping mechanisms including Landau damping ( ) and Beliaev damping ( ) are characterized. The Lee–Huang–Yang correction extends the equation of state beyond mean field. Critical phenomena near are analyzed within the 3D XY universality class, with critical exponents , , and the interaction-induced shift with . All predictions show excellent agreement with experimental measurements on ultracold atomic gases.
The experimental discovery of dilute ultracold quantum gases in 1995 has instigated a broad interest in ultracold atoms and molecules, and paved the way for extensive studies of a wide range of both experimental and theoretical topics. Various theories were developed to describe Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) for different ranges of temperature and interaction strengths. This thesis focuses on studying the mean-field theory of the Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation which provides a good description for the macroscopic wave function when both quantum and thermal fluctuations are negligible. This means that the range of validity is restricted to small interaction strengths at zero temperature. Within the GP theory we study analytically and numerically the nonlinear dynamics of BECs which are induced by a harmonic modulation of either the interaction strength or the harmonic trapping potential. At first a detailed numerical investigation reveals that solving the partial differential equation of Gross and Pitaevskii can be reduced to solving ordinary differential equations for the condensate widths within a Gaussian variational approach. Despite this tremendous simplification the prominent nonlinearity of the underlying GP equation is inherited by the variational equations, which thus allow to describe a rich variety of nonlinear phenomena in different experimental setups. In order to describe them analytically we transfer the Poincar\'e-Lindstedt method, which represents a well-established tool in the field of nonlinear dynamics, to the Gaussian variational approach. Modulation of some of the parameters of a BEC can give rise to prominent nonlinear features, such as shifts in the frequencies of collective oscillation modes, higher harmonics generation, and resonant mode coupling. As a first application we consider a recent Bose-Einstein condensate of Li-7, which has been excited experimentally by a harmonic modulation of the atomic s-wave scattering length with the help of a Feshbach resonance. Combining an analytical perturbative approach with extensive numerical simulations, we analyze the emerging nonlinear dynamics. In particular, we present the resulting shift of collective excitation spectra close to parametric resonances where the driving frequency coincides with a collective mode frequency. Another application of experimental importance is to study geometric resonances in BECs with two-body and three-body contact interactions, where changing the geometry of the trapping potential leads to commensurate collective excitation frequencies with emerging nonlinear effects such as frequency shifts and resonant mode coupling. In this context we also show that a small repulsive three-body interaction is able to extend the stability region of the condensate for an attractive two-body interaction as it increases the critical number of atoms in the trap. Apart from a periodic modulation of a system parameter the dipole mode frequency can be excited by introducing an abrupt change in the potential, where the center of mass oscillates according to the Kohn theorem back and forth in the trapping potential with the natural trap frequency irrespective of both the strength and the type of the two-particle interaction. To this end, we study the collective excitation modes of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a harmonic Ioffe- Pritchard in the vicinity of a Feshbach resonance for experimentally realistic parameters of a Rb-85 BEC, where the dipole mode is excited in z-direction. A linearization of the underlying equations of motions shows that the dipole mode frequency decreases when the bias magnetic field approaches the Feshbach resonance, so the Kohn theorem is violated. Finally within a variational approach we discuss the physical properties of a BEC in an axially-symmetric harmonic trap with a single vortex in the center. At first we analyze the equilibrium configuration and determine the vortex size as well as the Thomas- Fermi radii of the condensate in the Thomas-Fermi limit. Then we calculate the critical rotation frequency for the emergence of the vortex and compare our findings with the literature. Finally, we investigate how the presence of the vortex changes the collective excitation frequencies and we discuss the free expansion of the BEC. All these results indicate how nonlinear dynamics properties could be made clearly observable in future experiments on the basis of our results.
The breathing mode collective-excitation frequency of a Bose-Einstein condensate is studied in a highly asymmetric (two- or one-dimensional) trap by using a sum-rule method and a time-dependent variational method. The collective-excitation frequency of the breathing mode in the Thomas-Fermi limit for a purely two- or one-dimensional trap is reproduced by a general result for a three-dimensional trap. In the case of a two- or one-dimensional trap, we obtain the lowest-order correction for the excitation frequency due to the finiteness of the trap frequency in the tightly trapped direction or the finiteness of the number of atoms.
We analytically and numerically study nonlinear dynamics in Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) induced either by a harmonic modulation of the interaction or by the geometry of the trapping potential. To analytically describe BEC dynamics, we use a perturbative expansion based on the Poincaré–Lindstedt analysis of a Gaussian variational ansatz, whereas in the numerical approach we use numerical solutions of both a variational system of equations and the full time-dependent Gross–Pitaevskii equation. The harmonic modulation of the atomic s-wave scattering length of a BEC of 7 Li was achieved recently via Feshbach resonance, and such a modulation leads to a number of nonlinear effects, which we describe within our approach: mode coupling, higher harmonics generation and significant shifts in the frequencies of collective modes. In addition to the strength of atomic interactions, the geometry of the trapping potential is another key factor for the dynamics of the condensate, as well as for its collective modes. The asymmetry of the confining potential leads to important nonlinear effects, including resonances in the frequencies of collective modes of the condensate. We study in detail such geometric resonances and derive explicit analytic results for frequency shifts for the case of an axially symmetric condensate with two- and three-body interactions. Analytically obtained results are verified by extensive numerical simulations.
Ultracold atoms and Bose-Einstein condensates represent a burgeoning and ever exciting area of research which has produced numerous breakthroughs in the last 15 years. Ultracold atoms at nano-Kelvin temperatures, isolated in atom traps from the hot, room temperature environment, exhibit ultimate quantum properties and can serve as pure samples for testing quantum mechanics and performing precision measurements. The research described in this thesis investigates, both theoretically and experimentally, the coherence and dynamical evolution of a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). The studies are performed on the |1 › ≡ F = 1,mF = −1 › and |2 › ≡ |F = 2,mF = +1 › hyperfine ground states of a 87Rb BEC trapped on an atom chip. Conventional understanding has been that the fringe contrast in interferometric experiments on a BEC is limited by the mean-field dephasing due to strong interatomic interactions which lead to inhomogeneous collisional shifts. We have discovered using Ramsey interferometry a mean-field driven self-rephasing effect in a trapped twocomponent BEC. When combined with a spin-echo technique, we find that the selfrephasing leads to a coherence time of 2.8 s, the longest ever recorded for an interacting BEC. Secondly, we have developed a new technique based on periodic collective oscillations for precision measurements of the interspecies and intraspecies scattering lengths and derived an analytic mean-field theory for the phase and density dynamics in the twocomponent BEC. This technique has been applied to the measurements of the scattering lengths for the two components, |1i and |2i, in 87Rb with a precision of 0.016%. Additionally, the two-body loss coefficients for these states have been measured. Thirdly, we have developed and applied a new, interferometric method for calibrating the detection system, in order to determine the total atom number precisely for Ramsey interferometric measurements. The calibration coefficient is found to be in a good agreement with that obtained using a conventional calibration technique based on the critical BEC temperature. Finally, we have detected predicted RF-induced Feshbach resonances by monitoring changes in the two-body loss coefficients in the two-component BEC. Conventional Feshbach resonances have been used in many works to tune the s-wave interactions; however, there is no achievable magnetic Feshbach resonance for magnetically trappable states of 87Rb. The RF-induced resonances which we have detected can provide a way to tune the scattering lengths which is important for interferometry and entanglement experiments. The positions of the resonances may provide useful information for predicting the atomic scattering properties of 87Rb.