Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs), first predicted theoretically by Bose and Einstein and finally discovered experimentally in the 1990s, continue to motivate theoretical and experimental physics work. Although experiments on BECs are carried out in bounded space domains, theoretical work in the modelling of BECs often involves solving the Gross–Pitaevskii equation on unbounded domains, as the combination of bounded domains and spatial heterogeneity render most existing analytical approaches ineffective. Motivated by a lack of theory for BECs on bounded domains, we first derive a perturbation theory for both ground and excited stationary states on a given bounded space domain, allowing us to explore the role various forms of the self-interaction, external potential and space domain have on BECs. We are able to show that the shape and curvature of a space domain strongly influence BEC structure, and may be used as control mechanisms in experiments. We next derive a non-autonomous perturbation theory to predict BEC response to temporal changes in an external potential. In certain cases, our approach can be extended to unbounded domains, and we conclude by constructing a perturbation theory for bright solitons within external potentials on unbounded domains.
Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs), first predicted theoretically by Bose and Einstein and finally discovered experimentally in the 1990s, continue to motivate theoretical and experimental physics work. Although experiments on BECs are carried out in bounded space domains, theoretical work in the modelling of BECs often involves solving the Gross–Pitaevskii equation on unbounded domains, as the combination of bounded domains and spatial heterogeneity render most existing analytical approaches ineffective. Motivated by a lack of theory for BECs on bounded domains, we first derive a perturbation theory for both ground and excited stationary states on a given bounded space domain, allowing us to explore the role various forms of the self-interaction, external potential and space domain have on BECs. We are able to show that the shape and curvature of a space domain strongly influence BEC structure, and may be used as control mechanisms in experiments. We next derive a non-autonomous perturbation theory to predict BEC response to temporal changes in an external potential. In certain cases, our approach can be extended to unbounded domains, and we conclude by constructing a perturbation theory for bright solitons within external potentials on unbounded domains.
Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs), a state of matter formed when a low-density gas of bosons is cooled to near absolute zero, continue to motivate novel work in theoretical and experimental physics. Although BECs are most commonly studied in stationary ground states, time-varying BECs arise when some aspect of the physics governing the condensate varies as a function of time. We study the evolution of time-varying BECs under non-autonomous Gross–Pitaevskii equations (GPEs) through a mix of theory and numerical experiments. We separately derive a perturbation theory (in the small-parameter limit) and a variational approximation for non-autonomous GPEs on generic bounded space domains. We then explore various routes to obtain time-varying BECs, starting with the more standard techniques of varying the potential, scattering length, or dispersion, and then moving on to more advanced control mechanisms such as moving the external potential well over time to move or even split the BEC cloud. We also describe how to modify a BEC cloud through evolution of the size or curvature of the space domain. Our results highlight a variety of interesting theoretical routes for studying and controlling time-varying BECs, lending a stronger theoretical formulation for existing experiments and suggesting new directions for future investigation.
Abstract. We consider the Gross–Pitaevskii (GP) equation in the presence of periodic and quasi-periodic su-perlattices to study cigar-shaped Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) in such potentials. We examine spatially extended wavefunctions in the form of modulated amplitude waves (MAWs). With a coher-ent structure ansatz, we derive amplitude equations describing the evolution of spatially modulated states of the BEC. We then apply second-order multiple scale perturbation theory to study harmonic resonances with respect to a single lattice substructure as well as ultrasubharmonic resonances that result from interactions of both substructures of the superlattice. In each case, we determine the resulting system’s equilibria, which represent spatially periodic solutions, and subsequently examine the stability of the corresponding wavefunctions by direct simulations of the GP equation, identify-ing them as typically stable solutions of the model. We then study subharmonic resonances using Hamiltonian perturbation theory, tracing robust spatio-temporally periodic patterns. Key words. Bose–Einstein condensates, multiple scale perturbation theory, Hamiltonian systems
Beyond the mean-field theory, a new model of the Gross–Pitaevskii equation (GPE) that describes the dynamics of Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) is derived using an appropriate phase-imprint on the old wavefunction. This modified version of the GPE in addition to the two-body interactions term, also takes into account effects of the three-body interactions. The three-body interactions consist of a quintic term and the delayed nonlinear response of the condensate system term. Then, the modulational instability (MI) of the new GPE confined in an attractive harmonic potential is investigated. The analytical study shows that the three-body interactions destabilize more the condensate system while the external potential alleviates the instability. Numerical results confirm the theoretical predictions. Further numerical investigations of the behavior of solitons reveal that the three-body interactions enhance the appearance of solitons, increase the number of solitons generated and deeply change the lifetime of solitons. Moreover, the external potential delays the appearance of solitons. Besides, a new initial condition is introduced which enables to increase the number of solitons created and deeply affects the trail of chains of solitons generated. Moreover, the MI of a condensate without the external potential, and in a repulsive potential is also investigated.
Since the dramatic discovery of Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) in trapped atomic gases in 1995 (Anderson et al. , 1995), there has been an explosion of theoretical and experimental research on the properties of Bose-condensed dilute gases. The first phase of this research was discussed in the influential review article by Dalfovo et al. (1999) and in the proceedings of the 1998 Varenna Summer School on BEC (Inguscio et al. , 1999). More recently, this research has been well documented in two monographs, by Pethick and Smith (2008, second edition) and by Pitaevskii and Stringari (2003). Most of this research, both experimental and theoretical, has concentrated on the case of low temperatures (well below the BEC transition temperature, T BEC ), where one is effectively dealing with a pure Bose condensate. The total fraction of noncondensate atoms in such experiments can be as small as 10% of the total number of atoms and, equally importantly, this low-density cloud of thermally excited atoms is spread over a much larger spatial region compared with the high-density condensate, which is localized at the centre of the trapping potential. Thus most studies of Bose-condensed gases at low temperatures have concentrated entirely on the condensate degree of freedom and its response to various perturbations. This region is well described by the famous Gross–Pitaevskii (GP) equation of motion for the condensate order parameter Φ( r , t ). As shown by research since 1995, this pure condensate domain is very rich in physics. The main goal of the present book, in contrast, is to describe the dynamics of dilute trapped atomic gases at finite temperatures such that the noncondensate atoms also play an important role.
Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs), a quantum state of matter formed when bosonic atoms are cooled close to absolute zero, have become the premier platform for investigating fundamental physics with atomic vapours. Experiments on Bose-Einstein condensates now achieve exquisite control over many aspects of the system, including interactions, trapping potential, and dynamics. This has precipitated a new wave of research into many-body quantum phenomena and, in particular, solitons. These structures are fundamental excitations of an interacting non-linear medium, of interest to a multitude of scientific disciplines from non-linear optics to financial markets. The highly controllable environment of BECs form an attractive playground for the study of solitons allowing the non-linearity to be dynamically tuned, facilitating deeper investigations into these structures. Consistently generating and analysing solitons in BEC experiments continues to be problematic. In particular, the non-linear dynamics of BECs, though required for the generation of solitons, produce particularly challenging control and optimization problems. These control problems must be solved before further investigations into the fundamental physics of soliton dynamics can be answered. This thesis makes three important advances in the control and measurement of BECs that will lead to better generation and observation of solitons. (1) a theoretical model for a control scheme capable of highly precise wavefunction engineering, (2) the experimental implementation of a machine learning algorithm for online optimisation, and (3) a continuous non-destructive imaging system capable of directly observing soliton dynamics in real-time. Together, these advances provide a suite of tools for manipulating and exploiting solitons in Bose-Einstein condensates. A novel technique was developed theoretically, offering control of the macroscopic wavefunction of a Bose-Einstein condensate with unprecedented spatial resolution and speed. The ability to control the atomic wavefunction at the fundamental length scale is key to the advancement of many quantum technologies such as quantum simulators. The magnetic resonance control scheme is demonstrated through simulation of a 87Rb condensate with the exemplar model generating a single dark soliton with corresponding π phase kink. The soliton represents a structure at the fundamental length scale of the system, and demonstrates the potential of the scheme for precision state engineering. The scheme is extended to generate higher-order soliton modes which are yet to be experimentally realised. A machine learning algorithm based on Gaussian processes was developed and implemented on the evaporative cooling stage of the production of a 87Rb Bose-Einstein condensate, successfully demonstrating fast optimisation to condensation. The Gaussian process develops a statistical model based on the data that enables the characterisation of the relationship between the experimental controls and resultant quality of the BEC. This relationship is often obfuscated through technical details of the apparatus, frustrating the use of theoretical models to design optimal evaporation ramps. These models often only consider ergodic dynamics with two-body s-wave interactions and no other loss rates with better ramps likely exploiting more complex interactions. The internal model generated from the Gaussian process utilised uncertainty in measured data, making the optimisation more robust to experimental noise than alternate methods. The algorithm is shown to produce high quality Bose-Einstein condensates in 10 times fewer experimental iterations than previously used online optimisation techniques. By exploiting information on the sensitivity of each control, the model can be used to aid experimental design. The convergence of the optimisation is further improved by eliminating a superfluous parameter identified by the model. The general usefulness of machine learning compared with bespoke optimisation algorithms has seen machine learning approach ubiquity. Finally, an experimentally straightforward technique for continuous non-destructive imaging of matter-wave solitons was developed and implemented, facilitating measurements of stochastic phenomena. The technique is readily practicable on any ultracold atom experiment with an existing absorption imaging system, simply requiring the probe laser be far-detuned from resonance. With a signal-to-noise of ∼ 33 at 1.25 GHz detuning, the technique is capable of producing 100 images with no observable heating or atom loss. Coupled with a fast optical phase locked loop, the technique can be used in conjunction with absorption imaging to generate a series of non-destructive images followed by a final high signal-to-noise absorption image solely through moving the laser on resonance for the final image. The high performance and utility of this imaging setup make it a powerful tool for ultra-cold atom experiments.
We review our recent theoretical advances in the dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates with tunable interactions using Feshbach resonance and external potential. A set of analytic and numerical methods for Gross-Pitaevskii equations are developed to study the nonlinear dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates. Analytically, we present the integrable conditions for the Gross-Pitaevskii equations with tunable interactions and external potential, and obtain a family of exact analytical solutions for one- and two-component Bose-Einstein condensates in one and two-dimensional cases. Then we apply these models to investigate the dynamics of solitons and collisions between two solitons. Numerically, the stability of the analytic exact solutions are checked and the phenomena, such as the dynamics and modulation of the ring dark soliton and vector-soliton, soliton conversion via Feshbach resonance, quantized soliton and vortex in quasi-two-dimensional are also investigated. Both the exact and numerical solutions show that the dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates can be effectively controlled by the Feshbach resonance and external potential, which offer a good opportunity for manipulation of atomic matter waves and nonlinear excitations in Bose-Einstein condensates.