Quantum droplets represent a striking manifestation of beyond-mean-field physics, with properties that depend sensitively on dimensionality. Although quantum droplets have been experimentally realized in one and three dimensions, their realization in two dimensions has remained elusive. Here, we observe the formation of a two-dimensional (2D) quantum droplet in a quasi-2D geometry by transferring the single-component Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) into a spin mixture in the Lee-Huang-Yang (LHY) regime, where the LHY effect evidently deviates from its three-dimensional form. We find that, in our scheme, 2D quantum droplets are more stable and exhibit longer lifetimes than previously reported quantum droplets. By instead transferring the initial BECs into another single-spin state with a negative scattering length, we generate 2D Townes solitons. A comparison between the two types of self-bound states shows that, whereas 2D Townes solitons are stable only near a critical atom number determined by the scattering length, 2D quantum droplets remain well-defined and self-bound over a much broader parameter range. These realizations of quantum droplets and Townes solitons in two dimensions provide new insights into self-bound states and open new avenues for exploring nonlinear dynamics in quantum liquids.
Quantum droplets represent a striking manifestation of beyond-mean-field physics, with properties that depend sensitively on dimensionality. Although quantum droplets have been experimentally realized in one and three dimensions, their realization in two dimensions has remained elusive. Here, we observe the formation of a two-dimensional (2D) quantum droplet in a quasi-2D geometry by transferring the single-component Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) into a spin mixture in the Lee-Huang-Yang (LHY) regime, where the LHY effect evidently deviates from its three-dimensional form. We find that, in our scheme, 2D quantum droplets are more stable and exhibit longer lifetimes than previously reported quantum droplets. By instead transferring the initial BECs into another single-spin state with a negative scattering length, we generate 2D Townes solitons. A comparison between the two types of self-bound states shows that, whereas 2D Townes solitons are stable only near a critical atom number determined by the scattering length, 2D quantum droplets remain well-defined and self-bound over a much broader parameter range. These realizations of quantum droplets and Townes solitons in two dimensions provide new insights into self-bound states and open new avenues for exploring nonlinear dynamics in quantum liquids.
This brief review summarizes recent theoretical and experimental results which predict and establish the existence of quantum droplets (QDs), i.e., robust two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) self-trapped states in Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs), which are stabilized by effective self-repulsion induced by quantum fluctuations around the mean-field (MF) states [alias the Lee-Huang-Yang (LHY) effect]. The basic models are presented, taking special care of the dimension crossover, 2D → 3D. Recently reported experimental results, which exhibit stable 3D and quasi-2D QDs in binary BECs, with the inter-component attraction slightly exceeding the MF self-repulsion in each component, and in single-component condensates of atoms carrying permanent magnetic moments, are presented in some detail. The summary of theoretical results is focused, chiefly, on 3D and quasi-2D QDs with embedded vorticity, as the possibility to stabilize such states is a remarkable prediction. Stable vortex states are presented both for QDs in free space, and for singular but physically relevant 2D modes pulled to the center by the inverse-square potential, with the quantum collapse suppressed by the LHY effect.
Bose-Einstein condensation(BEC) has been a research hotspot in cold atom physics for the past few decades. Recently, experiments on BECs have reported the observation of liquid-like quantum droplets, attracting significant interest. The physics for forming quantum droplets can be explained by zero-point quantum fluctuation which effectively prohibit the collapse caused by the mean-field interactions between the atoms. The stabilization mechanism beyond the mean-field theory, induced by quantum fluctuations, can be described by the Lee–Huang–Yang(LHY) correction. Normally, forming stable 2D or 3D solitons in free space is a challenging problem. Additionally, an intriguing question is how to generate 2D or 3D solitons with embedded vorticity. The LHY stability mechanism offers a new approach to producing stable solitons and vortex solitons in BECs. In this thesis, two-dimensional vortex quantum droplets in Bose-Einstein condensates, including those with and without external potential, are examined. The study of solitons and vortex solitons in BECs under mean-field interactions and external potential has yielded significant results. This thesis expands this field by introducing the LHY correction to study stable quantum droplets and vortex droplets in BECs. The work chapters begin with studying binary quantum droplets in free space, considering the case where interspecies interactions are weakly attractive and intraspecies interactions are weakly repulsive. The zero-vorticity, semi-vortex, and binary vortex quantum droplets are studied in Chapter 3. Stable semi-vortex quantum droplets with embedded vorticity up to 8 are found in this system. This result gives a way to form stable vortex droplets with high topological charges in free space by controlling one component with zero vorticity and the other component with embedded vorticity. The stability and properties of these droplets are systematically studied. Chapter 4 explores the vortex quantum droplets and hidden vortex droplets confined within a radial lattice trap. It is found that the existence curves of the droplets confined within this optical trap could violate the Vakhitov-Kolokolov(VK) criterion, which is a necessary condition to form a stable soliton. A remarkable finding is that the vortex and hidden vortex quantum droplets in this radial lattice remain stable when they carry the embedded vorticity up to 11. The double-ring vortex and hidden vortex quantum droplets confined within this radial lattice are also discussed. The work expands from non-magnetic atoms to magnetic atoms in Chapter 5, which needs to consider the dipole-dipole interactions(DDIs). The anisotropic dipolar vortex quantum droplets trapped in an annular potential are studied. Under the effect of the ring shape potential, the double peak ring-shaped vortex droplets remain stable when they carry the embedded vorticity up to 11. It is the first time stable droplets with high topological charges have been formed in a dipolar system. Additionally, the shape transformation of dipolar vortex droplets induced by the strength of the mean-field interaction is examined. Finally, the behavior of dipolar vortex droplets confined within a weak-depth annular potential is also discussed. The results of this thesis may prove highly useful in creating stable vortex quantum droplets in Bose-Einstein condensates and advancing the broader field of ultracold atoms.
Bose-Einstein condensation(BEC) has been a research hotspot in cold atom physics for the past few decades. Recently, experiments on BECs have reported the observation of liquid-like quantum droplets, attracting significant interest. The physics for forming quantum droplets can be explained by zero-point quantum fluctuation which effectively prohibit the collapse caused by the mean-field interactions between the atoms. The stabilization mechanism beyond the mean-field theory, induced by quantum fluctuations, can be described by the Lee–Huang–Yang(LHY) correction. Normally, forming stable 2D or 3D solitons in free space is a challenging problem. Additionally, an intriguing question is how to generate 2D or 3D solitons with embedded vorticity. The LHY stability mechanism offers a new approach to producing stable solitons and vortex solitons in BECs. In this thesis, two-dimensional vortex quantum droplets in Bose-Einstein condensates, including those with and without external potential, are examined. The study of solitons and vortex solitons in BECs under mean-field interactions and external potential has yielded significant results. This thesis expands this field by introducing the LHY correction to study stable quantum droplets and vortex droplets in BECs. The work chapters begin with studying binary quantum droplets in free space, considering the case where interspecies interactions are weakly attractive and intraspecies interactions are weakly repulsive. The zero-vorticity, semi-vortex, and binary vortex quantum droplets are studied in Chapter 3. Stable semi-vortex quantum droplets with embedded vorticity up to 8 are found in this system. This result gives a way to form stable vortex droplets with high topological charges in free space by controlling one component with zero vorticity and the other component with embedded vorticity. The stability and properties of these droplets are systematically studied. Chapter 4 explores the vortex quantum droplets and hidden vortex droplets confined within a radial lattice trap. It is found that the existence curves of the droplets confined within this optical trap could violate the Vakhitov-Kolokolov(VK) criterion, which is a necessary condition to form a stable soliton. A remarkable finding is that the vortex and hidden vortex quantum droplets in this radial lattice remain stable when they carry the embedded vorticity up to 11. The double-ring vortex and hidden vortex quantum droplets confined within this radial lattice are also discussed. The work expands from non-magnetic atoms to magnetic atoms in Chapter 5, which needs to consider the dipole-dipole interactions(DDIs). The anisotropic dipolar vortex quantum droplets trapped in an annular potential are studied. Under the effect of the ring shape potential, the double peak ring-shaped vortex droplets remain stable when they carry the embedded vorticity up to 11. It is the first time stable droplets with high topological charges have been formed in a dipolar system. Additionally, the shape transformation of dipolar vortex droplets induced by the strength of the mean-field interaction is examined. Finally, the behavior of dipolar vortex droplets confined within a weak-depth annular potential is also discussed. The results of this thesis may prove highly useful in creating stable vortex quantum droplets in Bose-Einstein condensates and advancing the broader field of ultracold atoms.
We study liquid quantum droplets in a mixture of two-component Bose-Einstein condensates under variable confinement introduced along one or two spatial dimensions. Although the atom-atom scattering has a three-dimensional character, discreteness of the available modes in the reduced dimension(s) strongly influences the zero-point energy, which for a weakly interacting three-dimensional system is given by the Lee-Huang-Yang term. Here, we generalize the result of Lee, Huang, and Yang and calculate the higher order corrections to the mean-field energy for a single component Bose-Einstein condensate under condition of a tight confinement in one or two spatial directions. We apply our results to the two-component mixture of bosonic species under conditions favorable for the creation of quantum liquid droplets, which constitute a perfect playground for studies of the beyond mean-field effects. Our findings allow one to analyze the properties of quantum droplets at the dimensional crossover and provide demanding conditions for accessing quasilow dimensions. They also pave a way for experimental exploration of this state of matter in reduced dimensions.
This concise review summarizes recent advancements in theoretical studies of vortex quantum droplets (VQDs) in matter-wave fields. These are robust self-trapped vortical states in two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) with intrinsic nonlinearity. Stability of VQDs is provided by additional nonlinearities resulting from quantum fluctuations around mean-field states, often referred to as the Lee–Huang–Yang (LHY) corrections. The basic models are presented, with emphasis on the interplay between the mean-field nonlinearity, LHY correction, and spatial dimension, which determines the structure and stability of VQDs. We embark by delineating fundamental properties of VQDs in the 3D free space, followed by consideration of their counterparts in the 2D setting. Additionally, we address stabilization of matter-wave VQDs by optical potentials. Finally, we summarize results for the study of VQDs in the single-component BEC of atoms carrying magnetic moments. In that case, the anisotropy of the long-range dipole-dipole interactions endows the VQDs with unique characteristics. The results produced by the theoretical studies in this area directly propose experiments for the observation of novel physical effects in the realm of quantum matter, and suggest potential applications to the design of new schemes for processing classical and quantum information.
Abstract Ultracold dipolar droplets have been realized in a series of ground-breaking experiments, where the stability of the droplet state is attributed to beyond-mean-field effects in the form of the celebrated Lee-Huang-Yang (LHY) correction. We scrutinize the dipolar droplet states in a one-dimensional context using a combination of analytical and numerical approaches, and identify experimentally viable parameters for accessing our findings for future experiments. In particular we identify regimes of stability in the restricted geometry, finding multiple roton instabilities as well as regions supporting quasi-one-dimensional droplet states. By applying an interaction quench to the droplet, a modulational instability is induced and multiple droplets are produced, along with bright solitons and atomic radiation. We also assess the droplets robustness to collisions, revealing population transfer and droplet fission.