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Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics

Self-localization of Bose–Einstein condensates in optical lattices

Johannes Kruse, Ragnar Fleischmann

Published Jan 10, 2017• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract Mean field and beyond mean field model calculations of Bose–Einstein condensates trapped in optical lattices have shown that initially homogeneous condensates can evolve into self-trapped, strongly localized states in the presence of weak boundary dissipation, a phenomenon called self-localization . A dynamical phase transition from extended to localized states can be observed when the effective nonlinearity exceeds a critical threshold Λ eff c . We investigate this phase transition to self-localization in the mean field approximation of the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation. We quantitatively characterize the properties of the discrete breathers , i.e. the nonlinear localized solutions, at the phase transition. This leads us to propose and numerically verify an analytical lower bound Λ eff L for the critical nonlinearity based on the idea of self-induced Anderson localization.

DOI
10.1088/1361-6455/aa584e

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Abstract Mean field and beyond mean field model calculations of Bose–Einstein condensates trapped in optical lattices have shown that initially homogeneous condensates can evolve into self-trapped, strongly localized states in the presence of weak boundary dissipation, a phenomenon called self-localization . A dynamical phase transition from extended to localized states can be observed when the effective nonlinearity exceeds a critical threshold Λ eff c . We investigate this phase transition to self-localization in the mean field approximation of the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation. We quantitatively characterize the properties of the discrete breathers , i.e. the nonlinear localized solutions, at the phase transition. This leads us to propose and numerically verify an analytical lower bound Λ eff L for the critical nonlinearity based on the idea of self-induced Anderson localization.
We analyze the nature of self-localization (SL) of Bose-Einstein condensates in one-dimensional optical lattices in the presence of weak local dissipation. SL has recently been observed in several studies based on the discrete nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation (DNLS); however, its origin is hitherto an open question. We show that SL is based on a self-trapping crossover in the system. Furthermore, we establish that the origin of the crossover is the Peierls-Nabarro barrier, an energy threshold describing the stability of self-trapped states. Beyond the mean-field description the crossover becomes even sharper, which is also reflected by a sudden change of the coherence of the condensate. While we expect that the crossover can be readily studied in current experiments in deep optical lattices, our results allow for the preparation of robust and long-time coherent quantum states.
Abstract The dynamics of repulsive bosons condensed in an optical lattice is effectively described by the Bose-Hubbard model. The classical limit of this model, reproduces the dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates, in a periodic potential, and in the superfluid regime. Such dynamics is governed by a discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation. Several papers, addressing the study of the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger dynamics, have predicted the spontaneous generation of (classical) breathers in coupled condensates. In the present contribute, we shall focus on localized solutions (quantum breathers) of the full Bose-Hubbard model. We will show that solutions exponentially localized in space and periodic in time exist also in absence of randomness. Thus, this kind of states, reproduce a novel quantum localization phenomenon due to the interplay between bounded energy spectrum and non-linearity.
In the present paper, we analytically and numerically investigate the dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) loaded into deep optical lattices of one dimension (1D), 2D, and 3D. We focus on the self-trapped state and the effect of the lattice dimension. Under the tight-binding approximation, we obtain an analytical criterion for the self-trapped state of BEC using the time-dependent variational method. The phase diagram for self-trapping, soliton, breather, or diffusion of a BEC cloud is obtained accordingly and verified by directly solving a discrete Gross-Pitaevskii equation numerically. In particular, we find that the criterion and the phase diagrams are modified dramatically by the dimension of the optical lattices.
We study the dynamics of self-trapping in Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) loaded in deep optical lattices with Gaussian initial conditions, when the dynamics is well described by the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation (DNLSE). In the literature an approximate dynamical phase diagram based on a variational approach was introduced to distinguish different dynamical regimes: diffusion, self-trapping, and moving breathers. However, we find that the actual DNLSE dynamics shows a completely different diagram than the variational prediction. We calculate numerically a detailed dynamical phase diagram accurately describing the different dynamical regimes. It exhibits a complex structure that can readily be tested in current experiments in BECs in optical lattices and in optical waveguide arrays. Moreover, we derive an explicit theoretical estimate for the transition to self-trapping in excellent agreement with our numerical findings, which may be a valuable guide as well for future studies on a quantum dynamical phase diagram based on the Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian.
Discrete breathers, originally introduced in the context of biopolymers and coupled nonlinear oscillators, are also localized modes of excitation of Bose–Einstein condensates (BEC) in periodic potentials such as those generated by counter-propagating laser beams in an optical lattice. Static and dynamical properties of breather states are analysed in the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation that is derived in the limit of deep potential wells, tight-binding and the superfluid regime of the condensate. Static and mobile breathers can be formed by progressive re-shaping of initial Gaussian wave-packets or by transporting atomic density towards dissipative boundaries of the lattice. Static breathers generated via boundary dissipations are determined via a transfer-matrix approach and discussed in the two analytic limits of highly localized and very broad profiles. Mobile breathers that move across the lattice are well approximated by modified analytical expressions derived from integrable models with two independent parameters: the core-phase gradient and the peak amplitude. Finally, possible experimental realizations of discrete breathers in BEC in optical lattices are discussed in the presence of residual harmonic trapping and in interferometry configurations suitable to investigate discrete breathers' interactions.