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Physica Scripta

Relaxation modes in Bose–Einstein condensates

Erich D. Gust, L. E. Reichl

Published Nov 1, 2012• 4 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The rate of relaxation to equilibrium in Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs), and the modes of relaxation, are determined by the collision operators of the kinetic equation. In this work, we give the linearized kinetic equation for uniform dilute BECs and write the solution in terms of relaxation modes. We then present numerical results for both the relaxation rates and the relaxation modes for three atomic BECs, 23 Na, 87 Rb and 133 Cs, that are commonly used in experiments.

DOI
10.1088/0031-8949/2012/t151/014057

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The rate of relaxation to equilibrium in Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs), and the modes of relaxation, are determined by the collision operators of the kinetic equation. In this work, we give the linearized kinetic equation for uniform dilute BECs and write the solution in terms of relaxation modes. We then present numerical results for both the relaxation rates and the relaxation modes for three atomic BECs, 23 Na, 87 Rb and 133 Cs, that are commonly used in experiments.
We obtain microscopic expressions for the six hydrodynamic modes of a dilute Bose-Einstein condensate: two transverse (shear) modes and four longitudinal modes corresponding to the first sound (elastic waves) and second sound (temperature waves). Our microscopic expressions include both the speed of the two types of sound and the rate of relaxation of the sound waves. We obtain numerical values for the shear viscosity of a dilute BEC composed of bosons which interact via a contact potential. Our values for the shear viscosity are obtained using the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the three types of collision operators that govern the relaxation of the condensate.
The mathematical contributions by X.G. Lu (J. Statist. Phys. 98 (5/6) (2000) 1335–1394) and by M. Escobedo et al. (Electronic J. Differential Equations, Monograph 4 (2003)) presented in this Note constitute the first stage in the understanding of the superfluid dynamics, especially of the Bose–Einstein condensation, by means of kinetic models. The Boltzmann–Nordheim equation, which is physically relevant to describe dilute quantum Bose gases, sets important mathematical problems. Nevertheless, under an unphysical truncation of the collision cross-section at low energies, it has been proved that the spatially homogeneous Cauchy problem is well-posed. Furthermore, relaxation towards equilibrium holds in a weak sense, with the appearance of a singularity in infinite time if the initial mass is supercritical, which corresponds to the formation of a Bose–Einstein condensate.
We calculate the frequencies and damping rates of the low-lying collective modes of a Bose-Einstein condensed gas at nonzero temperature. We use a complex nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation to determine the dynamics of the condensate atoms, and couple it to a Boltzmann equation for the noncondensate atoms. In this manner we take into account both collisions between noncondensate-noncondensate and condensate-noncondensate atoms. We solve the linear response of these equations, using a time-dependent Gaussian trial function for the condensate wave function and a truncated power expansion for the deviation function of the thermal cloud. As a result, our calculation turns out to be characterized by two dimensionless parameters proportional to the noncondensate-noncondensate and condensate-noncondensate mean collision times. We find in general quite good agreement with experiment, both for the frequencies and damping of the collective modes.
The discovery of Bose Einstein condensation (BEC) in trapped ultracold atomic gases in 1995 has led to an explosion of theoretical and experimental research on the properties of Bose-condensed dilute gases. The first treatment of BEC at finite temperatures, this book presents a thorough account of the theory of two-component dynamics and nonequilibrium behaviour in superfluid Bose gases. It uses a simplified microscopic model to give a clear, explicit account of collective modes in both the collisionless and collision-dominated regions. Major topics such as kinetic equations, local equilibrium and two-fluid hydrodynamics are introduced at an elementary level. Explicit predictions are worked out and linked to experiments. Providing a platform for future experimental and theoretical studies on the finite temperature dynamics of trapped Bose gases, this book is ideal for researchers and graduate students in ultracold atom physics, atomic, molecular and optical physics and condensed matter physics.
The theory of open quantum systems is central to describing the dynamics and equilibration of dilute-gas Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). We present an analysis of the linearized stochastic projected Gross-Pitaevskii equation (SPGPE) describing finite-temperature BECs. Our treatment provides an optimal choice for the cutoff that divides the Bose gas into the low-energy coherent region forming a classical wave and the high-energy thermal cloud treated as a reservoir. Moreover, it highlights the relevance of energy damping, the number-conserving scattering between thermal and coherent atoms. We analyze the equilibrium properties and near-equilibrium relaxation of a homogeneous BEC in one, two, and three dimensions at high phase-space density and calculate the autocorrelation function and power spectrum of the density and phase fluctuations. Simulations of the full nonlinear SPGPE are in close agreement and extend our arguments beyond the linear regime. Our work suggests the need for a reexamination of decay processes in BECs studied under the neglect of energy damping.
The Bogoliubov theory of a uniform weakly-nonideal Bose-Einstein condensate leads to a divergent expression for the kinetic energy of atoms. However, the latter can be determined provided that the dependence of the scattering length on atomic mass is known. The explicit expressions are derived for the kinetic energy through parameters that specify interatomic interaction. The kinetic energy of condensate atoms noticeably exceeds the total energy. Numerical data are presented for Rb-87 and Na-23 condensates.