We present a theoretical analysis of three-dimensional (3D) matter-wave solitons and their stability properties in coupled atomic and molecular Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). The soliton solutions to the mean-field equations are obtained in an approximate analytical form by means of a variational approach. We investigate soliton stability within the parameter space described by the atom-molecule conversion coupling, the atom-atom
s-wave scattering, and the bare formation energy of the molecular species. In terms of ordinary optics, this is analogous to the process of sub- or second-harmonic generation in a quadratic nonlinear medium modified by a cubic nonlinearity, together with a phase mismatch term between the fields. While the possibility of formation of multidimensional spatiotemporal solitons in pure quadratic media has been theoretically demonstrated previously, here we extend this prediction to matter-wave interactions in BEC systems where higher-order nonlinear processes due to interparticle collisions are unavoidable and may not be neglected. The stability of the solitons predicted for repulsive atom-atom interactions is investigated by direct numerical simulations of the equations of motion in a full 3D lattice. Our analysis also leads to a possible technique for demonstrating the ground state of the Schr\"odinger-Newton and related equations that describe Bose-Einstein condensates with nonlocal interparticle forces.
Abstract Spinor Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) are formed when atoms in the multi-component BECs possess single hyperfine spin states but retain internal spin degrees of freedom. This study concentrates on a (1+1)-dimensional three-couple Gross–Pitaevskii system to depict the macroscopic spinor BEC waves within the mean-field approximation. Regarding the distribution of the atoms corresponding to the three vertical spin projections, a known binary Darboux transformation is utilized to derive the N matter-wave soliton solutions and triple-pole matter-wave soliton solutions on the zero background, where N is a positive integer. For those multiple matter-wave solitons, the asymptotic analysis is performed to obtain the algebraic expressions of the soliton components in the N matter-wave solitons and triple-pole matter-wave solitons. The asymptotic results indicate that the matter-wave solitons in the spinor BECs possess the property of maintaining their energy content and coherence during the propagation and interactions. Particularly, in the N matter-wave solitons, each soliton component contributes to the phase shifts of the other soliton components; and in the triple-pole matter-wave solitons, stable attractive forces exist between the different matter-wave soliton components. Those multiple matter-wave solitons are graphically illustrated through three-dimensional plots, density plot and contour plot, which are consistent with the asymptotic analysis results. The present analysis may provide the explanations for the complex natural mechanisms of the matter waves in the spinor BECs, and may have potential applications in designs of atom lasers, atom interferometry and coherent atom transport.