Mathematical similarities and parallels between two different physical objects, optical solitons and matter-wave solitons, both described by similar mathematical models: the nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLSE) and the Gross-Pitaevskii equation (GPE) model, open the possibility to study both systems in parallel and because of the obvious complexity of experiments with matter-wave solitons, offer outstanding possibilities in studies of BEC system by performing experiments in the nonlinear optical system and vise versa. In this report we briefly overview recent theoretical studies of the existence and stability of 3D solitons. With contributions from major groups who have pioneered research in this field, the report describes the historical development of the subject, provides a background to the associated nonlinear optical processes, the generation mechanisms of soliton bullets. The main features of nonautonomous matter-wave solitons near the Feshbach resonance with continuously tuned scattering length are investigated. We focus on the most physically important situations where the applied magnetic field is varying in time linearly and periodically. In nonlinear optical applications, this kind of periodic graded-index nonlinear structure with alternating waveguiding and antiwaveguiding segments can be used to simulate different and complicated processes in the total scenario of matterwave soliton bullets generation.
Mathematical similarities and parallels between two different physical objects, optical solitons and matter-wave solitons, both described by similar mathematical models: the nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLSE) and the Gross-Pitaevskii equation (GPE) model, open the possibility to study both systems in parallel and because of the obvious complexity of experiments with matter-wave solitons, offer outstanding possibilities in studies of BEC system by performing experiments in the nonlinear optical system and vise versa. In this report we briefly overview recent theoretical studies of the existence and stability of 3D solitons. With contributions from major groups who have pioneered research in this field, the report describes the historical development of the subject, provides a background to the associated nonlinear optical processes, the generation mechanisms of soliton bullets. The main features of nonautonomous matter-wave solitons near the Feshbach resonance with continuously tuned scattering length are investigated. We focus on the most physically important situations where the applied magnetic field is varying in time linearly and periodically. In nonlinear optical applications, this kind of periodic graded-index nonlinear structure with alternating waveguiding and antiwaveguiding segments can be used to simulate different and complicated processes in the total scenario of matterwave soliton bullets generation.
We propose an experimentally relevant scheme to create stable solitons in a three-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate confined by a one-dimensional optical lattice (OL), using spatially uniform temporal modulation of the scattering length (through ac magnetic field tuned close to the Feshbach resonance). Another physical implication of the model is a possibility to create stable 3D “light bullets” in an optical medium with a longitudinal alternating self-focusing/defocusing structure, and periodic modulation of the refractive index in a transverse direction. We develop a variational approximation to identify a stability region in the parametric space, and verify the existence of stable breathing solitons in direct simulations. Both methods reveal that stable solitons may be supported if the average value of the nonlinear coefficient (whose sign corresponds to attraction between atoms) and the OLs strength exceed well-defined minimum values. A moderately strong OL supports multi-peaked solitons, with essential interaction between the peaks.
We propose an experimentally relevant scheme to create stable solitons in a three-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate confined by a one-dimensional optical lattice, using temporal modulation of the scattering length (through ac magnetic field tuned close to the Feshbach resonance). Another physical interpretation is a possibility to create stable 3D "light bullets" in an optical medium with a longitudinal alternating self-focusing/defocusing structure, and periodic modulation of the refractive index in a transverse direction. We develop a variational approximation to identify a stability region in the parametric space, and verify the existence of stable breathing solitons in direct simulations. Both methods reveal that stable solitons may be supported if the average value of the nonlinear coefficient (whose sign corresponds to attraction between atoms) and the lattice's strength exceed well-defined minimum values. Stable localized patterns may feature a multi-cell structure.
The mean-field dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates loaded in an optical lattice, confined by a parabolic potential, and subjected to a change of scattering length by means of the Feshbach resonance is considered. The system is described by the Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation with varying nonlinearity, which in a number of cases is reduced to one-dimensional (1D) perturbed nonlinear Schr\"odinger (NLS) equations, the particular form of which depends on the relation among the parameters of the problem. We analytically describe the adiabatic dynamics of periodic solutions of the respective NLS equations, provide a numerical study of 1D models confined by a parabolic trap, and carry out numerical simulations of the matter-wave dynamics within the framework of the radially symmetric 3D GP equation. Special attention is paid to processes of generation of trains of bright and dark matter solitons from initially periodic waves. The results of the 1D approximation are compared with direct numerical simulation of the original 3D GP eqation, showing remarkable coincidence for definite regions of parameters.
We introduce a dynamical model of a Bose-Einstein condensate based on the one-dimensional (1D) Gross-Pitaevskii equation (GPE) with a nonlinear optical lattice (NOL), which is represented by the cubic term whose coefficient is periodically modulated in the coordinate. The model describes a situation when the atomic scattering length is spatially modulated, via the optically controlled Feshbach resonance, in an optical lattice created by interference of two laser beams. Relatively narrow solitons supported by the NOL are predicted by means of the variational approximation (VA), and an averaging method is applied to broad solitons. A different feature is a minimum norm (number of atoms), N = N(min), necessary for the existence of solitons. The VA predicts N(min) very accurately. Numerical results are chiefly presented for the NOL with the zero spatial average value of the nonlinearity coefficient. Solitons with values of the amplitude A larger than at N = N(min) are stable. Unstable solitons with smaller, but not too small, A rearrange themselves into persistent breathers. For still smaller A, the soliton slowly decays into radiation without forming a breather. Broad solitons with very small A are practically stable, as their decay is extremely slow. These broad solitons may freely move across the lattice, featuring quasielastic collisions. Narrow solitons, which are strongly pinned to the NOL, can easily form stable complexes. Finally, the weakly unstable low-amplitude solitons are stabilized if a cubic term with a constant coefficient, corresponding to weak attraction, is included in the GPE.
By means of variational solution and direct numerical simulation of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation (GPE), we have studied the stability of matter-wave solitons in two-dimensional (2D) Bose-Einstein condensations (BECs), with 2D linear and nonlinear optical lattices (OLs). Using the static variational approach and Vakhitov-Kolokolov criterion necessary for stability, we obtain the stability condition for solitons in different combinations of OL's parameters. We show that the 2D linear and nonlinear optical lattices allow us to stabilize 2D solitons for both attractive and repulsive interactions. We also study the time-evolution problems of 2D BECs, using the time-dependent variational approach and numerical solution of GPE for 2D linear and nonlinear OLs. Very good agreement between the results corresponding to both treatments is observed.
Bose–Einstein Condensation (BEC) of atomic gases has attracted a renewed theoretical and experimental interest in quantum many-body systems at extremely low temperatures (Pethick & Smith; 2002). This excitement stems from two favorable features: (1) by applying magnetic fields and lasers, most of the system parameters, such as the shape, dimensionality, internal states of the condensates, and even the strength of the interatomic interactions, are controllable; (2) due to the diluteness, the mean-field theory explains experiments quite well. In particular, the Gross–Pitaevskii (GP) equation demonstrates its validity as a basic equation for the condensate dynamics. The GP equation is the counterpart of the nonlinear Schrodinger (NLS) equation in nonlinear optics. Thus, a study based on nonlinear analysis is possible and important. In nonlinear physics, a soliton is remarkable object not only for the fact that exact solutions can be obtained but also for its usefulness as a communications tool due to its robustness. In general, solitons are formed under the balance between nonlinearity and dispersion. For atomic condensates, the former is attributed to the interatomic interactions, while the latter comes from the kinetic energy. Either dark or bright solitons are allowable depending on the positive or negative sign of the interatomic coupling constants g, respectively, and indeed have been observed in a quasione-dimensional (q1D) optically constructed waveguide (Strecker et al.; 2002) (Khaykovich et al.; 2002). Such matter-wave solitons are expected in atom optics for applications in atom laser, atom interferometry, and coherent atom transport (Meystre; 2002). In this chapter, we extend the analysis of the matter-wave solitons to a multicomponent case by considering the so-called spinor condensate (Stenger et al.; 1998) whose spin degrees of freedom are liberated under optical traps. Based on theoretical and experimental results, we introduce a new integrable model which describes the dynamical properties of the matter-wave soliton of spinor condensates (Ieda et al.; 2004a). We employ the inverse scattering method to solve this model exactly. As a result, we predict the occurrence of undiscovered physical phenomena such as macroscopic spin precession and spin switching. The chapter is organized as follows. In Sec. 2, the mean field theory of condensate is briefly reviewed. Section 3 introduces an effective interatomic coupling in a q1D condensate. Using these results, we consider a spinor condensate in q1D regime in Sec. 4. Then, in Sec. 5, we