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arXiv:2512.13847 · APS Open Science

Quasiparticle projection method for dynamically unstable Bose-Einstein condensates

Asier Izquierdo, Maria Arazo, Sofía Martínez-Garaot, Michele Modugno

cond-mat.quant-gasquant-phSubmitted Dec 15, 2025• Announced Dec 17, 2025• 0 citations
v1 · Dec 15, 2025v2 · Jun 25, 2026
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Abstract

We present a general formalism for performing a time-dependent Bogoliubov analysis of a dynamically unstable Bose-Einstein condensate, which extends the quasiparticle projection method of Morgan et al. [Phys. Rev. A 57, 3818 (1998)] to cases with a complex spectrum. By introducing the proper left eigenvectors associated with each regime, we construct a biorthogonal basis. While the usual Bogoliubov normalization $\langle u | u \rangle - \langle v | v \rangle = 1$ may not hold in this basis, it still allows for a complete mode decomposition and an accurate reconstruction of arbitrary perturbations over time. This approach extends the applicability of the Bogoliubov framework beyond the stable regime, providing a consistent analysis of the time evolution of unstable condensates. As a proof of concept, we apply the method to a one-dimensional condensate with attractive interactions, which is dynamically unstable and evolves into nonstationary localized structures seeded by small perturbations.

Journal reference
APS Open Sci. 1, 000043 (2026)
DOI
10.1103/pnh7-f3v9
Comments
11 pages, 7 figures

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We present a general formalism for performing a time-dependent Bogoliubov analysis of a dynamically unstable Bose-Einstein condensate, which extends the quasiparticle projection method of Morgan et al. [Phys. Rev. A 57, 3818 (1998)] to cases with a complex spectrum. By introducing the proper left eigenvectors associated with each regime, we construct a biorthogonal basis. While the usual Bogoliubov normalization ⟨u∣u⟩−⟨v∣v⟩=1\langle u | u \rangle - \langle v | v \rangle = 1⟨u∣u⟩−⟨v∣v⟩=1 may not hold in this basis, it still allows for a complete mode decomposition and an accurate reconstruction of arbitrary perturbations over time. This approach extends the applicability of the Bogoliubov framework beyond the stable regime, providing a consistent analysis of the time evolution of unstable condensates. As a proof of concept, we apply the method to a one-dimensional condensate with attractive interactions, which is dynamically unstable and evolves into nonstationary localized structures seeded by small perturbations.
Like classical fluids, quantum gases may suffer from hydrodynamic instabilities. Our paper develops a quantum version of the classical stability analysis in fluids, the Bogoliubov theory of elementary excitations in unstable Bose-Einstein condensates. In unstable condensates the excitation modes have complex frequencies. We derive the normalization conditions for unstable modes such that they can serve in a mode decomposition of the non-condensed component. Furthermore, we develop approximative techniques to determine the spectrum and the mode functions. Finally, we apply our theory to a sonic white hole and find that the spectrum of unstable modes is intrinsically discrete.
The Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations are used for a number of theoretical works on the trapped Bose-Einstein condensates. These equations are known to give the energies of the quasi-particles when all the eigenvalues are real. We consider the case in which these equations have complex eigenvalues. We give the complete set including those modes whose eigenvalues are complex. The quantum fields which represent neutral atoms are expanded in terms of the complete set. It is shown that the state space is an indefinite metric one and that the free Hamiltonian is not diagonalizable in the conventional bosonic representation. We introduce a criterion to select quantum states describing the metastablity of the condensate, called the physical state conditions. In order to study the instability, we formulate the linear response of the density against the time-dependent external perturbation within the regime of Kubo’s linear response theory. Some states, satisfying all the physical state conditions, give the blow-up and damping behavior of the density distributions corresponding to the complex eigenmodes. It is qualitatively consistent with the result of the recent analyses using the time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii equation.
Evolution of a Bose–Einstein condensate subject to a time-dependent external perturbation can be described by a time-dependent number-conserving Bogoliubov theory: a condensate initially in its ground state Bogoliubov vacuum evolves into a time-dependent excited state which can be formally written as a time-dependent Bogoliubov vacuum annihilated by time-dependent quasiparticle annihilation operators. We prove that any Bogoliubov vacuum can be brought to a diagonal form in a time-dependent orthonormal basis. This diagonal form is tailored for simulations of quantum measurements on an excited condensate. As an example we work out phase imprinting of a dark soliton followed by a density measurement.
A Bose-Einstein condensate in an optical lattice exhibits parametric resonances when the intensity of the lattice is periodically modulated in time. These resonances correspond to an exponential growth of the population of counter-propagating Bogoliubov excitations. A suitable linearization of the Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation is used to calculate the stability diagram and the growth rates of the unstable modes. The results agree with the ones extracted from time-dependent GP simulations, supporting our previous claim [M. Kr\"amer et al., Phys. Rev. A 71, 061602(R) (2005)] concerning the key role of parametric resonances in the response observed by St\"oferle et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 130403 (2004)] in the superfluid regime. The role of the seed excitations required to trigger the parametric amplification is discussed. The possible amplification of the quantum fluctuations present in the quasiparticle vacuum, beyond GP theory, is also addressed, finding interesting analogies with similar processes in nonlinear quantum optics and with the dynamic Casimir effect. Our results can be used in exploiting parametric instabilities for the purpose of spectroscopy, selective amplification of a particular excitation mode and for establishing a new type of thermometry.
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.
Quantum fluctuations in time-dependent, harmonically trapped Bose-Einstein condensates are studied within Bogoliubov theory. An eigenmode expansion of the linear field operators permits the diagonalization of the Bogoliubov--de Gennes equation for a stationary condensate. When trap frequency or interaction strength is varied, the inhomogeneity of the background gives rise to off-diagonal coupling terms between different modes. This coupling is negligible for low energies, i.e., in the hydrodynamic regime, and an effective space-time metric can be introduced. The influence of the intermode coupling will be demonstrated in an example, where I calculate the quasiparticle number for a quasi-one-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate subject to an exponential sweep of interaction strength and trap frequency.