In this paper, we investigate the nonlinear localized eigenmodes for a Bose–Einstein condensate in a double-well potential. For a specific choice of the potential parameters, certain exact analytical solutions for nonlinear localized eigenmodes are presented. By applying the linear stability analysis, the stability regions of these exact nonlinear localized eigenmodes are obtained numerically. It is shown that under certain conditions, the unstable nonlinear localized modes display the breathing behavior characterized by repeated appearance of symmetric and asymmetric distributions in the two potentials. This breathing behavior is shown to arise from the symmetry breaking for these nonlinear localized eigenmodes.
In this paper, we investigate the nonlinear localized eigenmodes for a Bose–Einstein condensate in a double-well potential. For a specific choice of the potential parameters, certain exact analytical solutions for nonlinear localized eigenmodes are presented. By applying the linear stability analysis, the stability regions of these exact nonlinear localized eigenmodes are obtained numerically. It is shown that under certain conditions, the unstable nonlinear localized modes display the breathing behavior characterized by repeated appearance of symmetric and asymmetric distributions in the two potentials. This breathing behavior is shown to arise from the symmetry breaking for these nonlinear localized eigenmodes.
We treat the behavior of Bose-Einstein condensates in double square well potentials of both equal and different depths. For even depth, symmetry preserving solutions to the relevant nonlinear Schrödinger equation are known, just as in the linear limit. When the nonlinearity is strong enough, symmetry breaking solutions also exist, side by side with the symmetric one. Interestingly, solutions almost entirely localized in one of the wells are known as an extreme case. Here we outline a method for obtaining all these solutions for repulsive interactions. The bifurcation point at which, for critical nonlinearity, the asymmetric solutions branch off from the symmetry preserving ones is found analytically. We also find this bifurcation point and treat the solutions generally via a Josephson junction model. When the confining potential is in the form of two wells of different depth, interesting phenomena appear. This is true of both the occurrence of the bifurcation point for the static solutions and also of the dynamics of phase and amplitude varying solutions. Again a generalization of the Josephson model proves useful. The stability of solutions is treated briefly.
We propose a model of a nonlinear double-well potential (NDWP), alias a double-well pseudopotential, with the objective to study an alternative implementation of the spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) in Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) and optical media, under the action of a potential with two symmetric minima. In the limit case when the NDWP structure is induced by the local nonlinearity coefficient represented by a set of two delta functions, a fully analytical solution is obtained for symmetric, antisymmetric, and asymmetric states. In this solvable model, the SSB bifurcation has a fully subcritical character. Numerical analysis, based on both direct simulations and computation of stability eigenvalues, demonstrates that, while the symmetric states are stable up to the SSB bifurcation point, both symmetric and emerging asymmetric states, as well as all antisymmetric ones, are unstable in the model with the delta functions. In the general model with a finite width of the nonlinear-potential wells, the asymmetric states quickly become stable, simultaneously with the switch of the SSB bifurcation from the subcritical to supercritical type. Antisymmetric solutions may also get stabilized in the NDWP structure of the general type, which gives rise to a bistability between them and asymmetric states. The symmetric states require a finite norm for their existence, an explanation to which is given. A full diagram for the existence and stability of the trapped states in the model is produced. Experimental observation of the predicted effects should be possible in BEC formed by several hundred atoms.
The properties of the localized states of a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate confined in a nonlinear periodic potential (nonlinear optical lattice) are investigated. We discuss the existence of different types of solitons and study their stability by means of analytical and numerical approaches. The symmetry properties of the localized states with respect to nonlinear optical lattices are also investigated. We show that nonlinear optical lattices allow the existence of bright soliton modes with equal symmetry in both components and bright localized modes of mixed symmetry type, as well as dark-bright bound states and bright modes on periodic backgrounds. In spite of the quasi-one-dimensional nature of the problem, the fundamental symmetric localized modes undergo a delocalizing transition when the strength of the nonlinear optical lattice is varied. This transition is associated with the existence of an unstable solution, which exhibits a shrinking (decaying) behavior for slightly overcritical (undercritical) variations in the number of atoms.
In this work, we consider the extension of linear eigenmodes of the harmonic oscillator potential into nonlinear states, for the case of two-component Gross–Pitaevskii equations with a parabolic potential, motivated by the context of two interacting hyperfine states of 87 Rb in Bose–Einstein condensates. In particular, we establish that nonlinear continuations of various eigenmode combinations are possible and corroborate this analytical finding with numerical computations for the lowest few eigenmode combinations involving the ground state and the first two excited states. A multitude of nonlinear states can be constructed in this way, some of which spontaneously deform, as the interactions become stronger, into previously obtained nonlinear eigenstates. The Bogolyubov–de Gennes analysis of the excitations on top of such states illustrates that some of them may become unstable beyond a critical threshold (of the chemical potentials associated with the states), while others may be stable within the entire range of chemical potentials considered herein. When the modes are found to be unstable, their evolution is followed, leading to interesting dynamical effects such as spontaneous symmetry breaking or oscillatory growth.
We investigate the profiles and stability of the localized nonlinear matter waves in a Bose–Einstein condensate with spatially inhomogeneous two- and three-body interactions in various external potentials both analytically and numerically. Several families of localized stationary solutions of the one-dimensional mean-field Gross–Pitaevskii equation with cubic–quintic nonlinearities are obtained by similarity transformation. It is shown that the whole Bose–Einstein condensate can have an infinite number of localized nonlinear matter waves determined by certain non-negative integers. The linear and dynamical stabilities of the localized stationary solutions are studied numerically, and some stable localized nonlinear matter waves are found. We demonstrate that the attractive inhomogeneous two- and three-body interactions support linearly and dynamically stable localized nonlinear matter waves, but attractive two-body interaction along with repulsive three-body interaction destroys the linear stability. Moreover, an anharmonic potential is proposed to stabilize the localized nonlinear matter waves in the Bose–Einstein condensate with spatially inhomogeneous interactions.
The novel phenomena arising from Bose-Einstein condensates with spatially and spatiotemporally modulated nonlinearities in external potential is reviewed from a theoretical viewpoint. We first present theoretical analysis and numerical studies of the localized nonlinear matter waves in one-dimensional single and two-component BECs with spatially and spatiotemporally modulated nonlinearities, respectively. It is shown that the spatially or spatiotemporally modulated nonlinearity can support stable novel localized nonlinear matter waves such as the breathing solitons and moving solitons. Then the quasi-two-dimensional BEC with spatially modulated nonlinearity is investigated and we show that all of the BECs, similar to the linear harmonic oscillator, can have an arbitrary number of localized nonlinear matter waves with discrete energies. Their properties are determined by the principal quantum number and secondary quantum number. Moreover, we investigate the quantized vortices in a rotating BEC with spatiotemporally modulated interaction in harmonic and anharmonic potentials, respectively. The exact quantized vortex and giant vortex solutions are constructed explicitly by similarity transformation. Their stability behavior is examined by numerical simulation, which shows that a new series of stable vortex states which are defined by radial and angular quantum numbers, can be supported by the spatiotemporally modulated interaction in this system. We find that there exist stable quantized vortices with large topological charges in repulsive condensates with spatiotemporally modulated interaction.