Considered as a fundamental step for the development of the atomic laser and quantum computing, as well as the theoretical explanation of super fluidity, the Bose- Einstein condensate (BEC) has emerged as one of the most important topics in modern physics. This project is devoted to the analysis of a condensate based on exciton-polaritons. This BEC is characterized by a high critical temperature of condensation (about 20 K) and non-equilibrium dynamics. A mathematical model called complex Gross- Pitaevskii equation (cGPE) is used to describe its behavior. The steady state solutions of the cGPE are studied and a numerical method based on a collocation method is proposed in order to find these solutions. Once the steady state solutions are found, a linear stability analysis is performed, demonstrating that the steady state solutions become unstable as the pumping spot radius increases. Finally, the manifestations of these instabilities are analyzed by direct simulation of the cGPE, using a second order time-splitting spectral method. As a result, it is possible to see the formation of quantum vortices, which increase in number as the pumping spot radius increases.
Considered as a fundamental step for the development of the atomic laser and quantum computing, as well as the theoretical explanation of super fluidity, the Bose- Einstein condensate (BEC) has emerged as one of the most important topics in modern physics. This project is devoted to the analysis of a condensate based on exciton-polaritons. This BEC is characterized by a high critical temperature of condensation (about 20 K) and non-equilibrium dynamics. A mathematical model called complex Gross- Pitaevskii equation (cGPE) is used to describe its behavior. The steady state solutions of the cGPE are studied and a numerical method based on a collocation method is proposed in order to find these solutions. Once the steady state solutions are found, a linear stability analysis is performed, demonstrating that the steady state solutions become unstable as the pumping spot radius increases. Finally, the manifestations of these instabilities are analyzed by direct simulation of the cGPE, using a second order time-splitting spectral method. As a result, it is possible to see the formation of quantum vortices, which increase in number as the pumping spot radius increases.
We theoretically explore the possibility of stabilizing the trapless polariton Bose-Einstein condensates (pBECs). Exploiting the variational method, we solve the associated nonlinear, complex Gross-Pitaevskii equation and derive the equation of motion for the amplitude and width of the condensate. These variational results described by ordinary differential equations are rewritten to perform a linear stability analysis to generate a stability window in the repulsive domain. A set of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations obtained through the variational approach are then solved by numerical simulations through the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method, which are further supported by the split-step Crank-Nicholson method, thereby setting the platform for stable pBECs. In particular, we generate a window containing system parameters in the ${g}_{1}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{\text{eff}}$ space within which the system can admit stable condensates. The highlight of the results is that one observes beating effects in the real time evolution of the condensates with attractive interactions much similar to multicomponent BECs, and their periodicity can be varied by manipulating linear and nonlinear loss/gain terms. For repulsive condensates, one notices the stretching of the density.
This thesis includes theoretical studies regarding stability and manipulation of Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) of ultra-cold atoms in 2D trapping geometry, as well as formation of steady states of exciton-polariton Bose-Einstein condensates created in solid states. We analyze and numerically model the dynamics and localization of the condensates using mean-field model. Chapter 1 contains an introduction to the physics of ultra-cold atom BEC and excitonpolariton BEC which provides a framework for the work presented in later chapters. In Chapter 2, we consider a method for achieving dynamically controllable transport of highly mobile matter-wave solitons in an ultra-cold atom BEC with attractive interparticle interaction loaded into a driven two-dimensional optical lattice. Our numerical analysis based on the mean-field model and the theory based on the effective particle approach demonstrate that fast, time-periodic rocking of the two-dimensional optical lattice enables efficient stabilization and manipulation of spatially localized matter wave packets via induced reconfigurable mobility channels. Chapter 3 consists of an investigation of the instability - collapse of a BEC with attractive interactions. In this chapter we explore the influence of an orbital angular momentum on the collapse of vortex-free elliptic clouds of Bose-Einstein condensates trapped in a radially symmetric harmonic potential or a rotating elliptic potential. The results of our analysis show that the number of trapped ultracold atoms corresponding to the collapse threshold can be radically increased for such rotating nonlinear matter waves in a radially harmonic trap. The results corresponding to a BEC cloud confined in a rotating elliptic trap show that the elongated stationary states can be parallel or perpendicular to the long axis of the trap and display bistable nature. In Chapter 4, we examine spatial localization and dynamical stability of Bose-Einstein condensates of exciton-polaritons in microcavities under the condition of off-resonant spatially inhomogeneous optical pumping both with and without a harmonic trapping potential. We employ the open-dissipative Gross-Pitaevskii model for describing an incoherently pumped polariton condensate coupled to an exciton reservoir. We reveal that spatial localization of the steady-state condensate occurs due to effective self-trapping created by the polariton flows, regardless of the presence of the external potential. A ground state of the polariton condensate with repulsive interactions between the quasiparticles represents a dynamically stable bright dissipative soliton. We also investigate the conditions for sustaining spatially localized structures, with nonzero angular momentum, in the form of single-charge vortices. Chapter 5 consider the existence of novel spatially localized states of exciton-polariton Bose-Einstein condensates in semiconductor microcavities with fabricated periodic inplane potentials. Our theory shows that, under the conditions of continuous nonresonant pumping, localization is observed for a wide range of optical pump parameters due to effective potentials self-induced by the polariton flows in the spatially periodic system. We show that the self-localization of exciton-polaritons in the lattice may occur both in the gaps and bands of the single-particle linear spectrum, and is dominated by the effects of gain and dissipation rather than the structured potential, in sharp contrast to the conservative condensates of ultra-cold alkali atoms.
Exciton-polariton Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) are newly emerged quantum systems that are capable of showing macroscopic quantum phenomena with intrinsic open-dissipative nature. The spatial distribution of the polariton density, without any external potential, can be controlled by the geometric shape of the pumping laser, enabling the investigation of polariton dynamics with topologically non-trivial configurations. Meanwhile, exciton-polaritons have spin degrees of freedom inherited from excitons and photons, making it a candidate for the realization of quantum logic gates. In this thesis, we will investigate theoretically the nonlinear dynamics of exciton-polariton BECs involving both polaritons' spatial degrees of freedom and spin degrees of freedom, and interactions between them. This thesis is organised as follows: In Chapter 1, we will present an overall review of exiton-polariton systems and important properties of polariton BECs and then introduce the dynamical equations with various interactions that will serve as the main theoretical tool for subsequent chapters. Several polariton pumping and trapping techniques appearing in later chapters will also be introduced. In Chapter 2, we will investigate the superfluidity properties of a single-component polariton condensate under an incoherent annular pumping configuration. By studying the stability properties of polariton persistent currents, we find that the persistent currents can exhibit dynamical instability and energetic-like instability according to different parameter region. A stability phase diagram will be given and its relation with the Landau's criterion will be discussed. In Chapter 3, we will investigate the spin dynamics of a two-component polariton condensate under a homogeneous pumping configuration. Owing to the Josephson coupling, there exist multiple steady state solutions that allow of controlled spin state switching. A desynchronized region where there exists no stable steady solution is found. In the desynchronized region, a desynchronized state beating periodically over time can exist, which will serve as a building block of spin waves presented in the next chapter. In Chapter 4, by combining results from the previous two chapters we will investigate generally the nonlinear dynamics of polariton condensates under an annular pumping configuration. The spin-orbit interaction provided by the Josephson coupling supports azimuthon states that have simultaneous modulations in both amplitude and phase. The azimuthon states, when viewed in a different polarization basis, form rotating spin waves that can be referred to as the optical ferris wheel. In Chapter 5, results from previous chapters will be extended to micocavities that support the anisotropic TE-TM splitting interaction. Rotating singularities (small-scale vortices) are found as a result. Their properties and experimental observation techniques will be discussed. Chapter 2-5 provide a theoretical framework for the nonlinear dynamics of polariton condensates. They rely mostly on optical trapping techniques and are ready to be tested in experiments. In Chapter 6, polaritons trapped by an engineered periodic mesa potential will be discussed. We will investigate the band structure of polaritons under the influence of the periodic potential together with discussions on the phase-modulated interference pattern which corresponds to the polariton Talbot patterns observed in experiments.
This project aims to study the behavior of a cloud of Rubidium-85 atoms under an attractive interaction potential when used to create a Bose-Einstein condensate. Efforts to describe the dynamics of an attractive condensate using only the Gross-Pitaevskii equation have been unable to describe all of the features of such a system, and so the mathematical approach used is a perturbative method of corrections to the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. A system of analytical equations to describe a condensate is derived herein, which is then arranged into a form suitable for numerical solution. The actual calculation is not performed, but details of the computational procedure are provided, as well as an analysis of the difficulties inherent in the calculation.
In this paper, we mainly review recent results on mathematical theory andnumerical methods for Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC),based on the Gross-Pitaevskii equation (GPE). Starting from the simplest case with one-component BEC of the weakly interacting bosons, we study the reduction of GPE to lower dimensions, the ground states of BEC including the existence and uniqueness as well as nonexistence results, and the dynamics of GPE including dynamical laws, well-posedness of the Cauchy problem as well as the finite time blow-up. To compute the ground state, the gradient flow with discrete normalization (or imaginary time) method is reviewed and various full discretization methods are presented and compared. To simulate the dynamics, both finite difference methods and time splitting spectral methods are reviewed, and their error estimates are briefly outlined. When the GPE has symmetric properties, we show how to simplify the numerical methods. Then we compare two widely used scalings, i.e. physical scaling (commonly used) and semiclassical scaling, for BEC in strong repulsive interaction regime (Thomas-Fermi regime), and discuss semiclassical limits of the GPE. Extensions of these results for one-component BEC are thencarried out for rotating BEC by GPE with an angular momentum rotation, dipolar BEC by GPE with long range dipole-dipole interaction, and two-component BEC by coupled GPEs. Finally, as a perspective, we show briefly the mathematical models forspin-1 BEC, Bogoliubov excitation and BEC at finite temperature.
We present a method to study the dynamics of a quasi-two dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate which initially contains several vortices at arbitrary locations. The method allows one to find the analytical solution for the dynamics of the Bose-Einstein condensate in a homogeneous medium and in a parabolic trap, for the ideal non-interacting case. Secondly, the method allows one to obtain algebraic equations for the trajectories of the position of phase singularities present in the initial condensate along with time (the vortex lines). With these equations, one can predict quantities of interest, such as the time at which a vortex and an antivortex contained in the initial condensate will merge. For the homogeneous case, this method was introduced in the context of photonics. Here, we adapt it to the context of Bose-Einstein condensates, and we extend it to the trapped case for the first time. Also, we offer numerical simulations in the non-linear case, for repulsive and attractive interactions. We use a numerical split-step simulation of the non-linear Gross-Pitaevskii equation to determine how these trajectories and quantities of interest are changed by the interactions. We illustrate the method with several simple cases of interest, both in the homogeneous and parabolically trapped systems.