Acta Physica Sinica

Quantum phase transition of a Bose-Einstein condensate in an optical cavity driven by a laser field

Ni Liu

Published Jan 1, 2013• 7 citations

Abstract

When an atomic ensemble is coupled with a cavity field governed by the well-known Dicke model , an important quantum phase transition (QPT) from the normal phase to the superradiant phase occurs, which was predicted more than 30 years ago. In this paper, both the atom-photon nonlinear interaction and the driving field are added to the Dicke's Hamiltonian. With the method of Holstein-Primafoff transformation, the ground state energy is given by the theoretical calculation, and the rich phase figures are presented. Meanwhile, these properties are observed experimentally. We mainly dicuss the effects of the atom-photon nonlinear interaction and the driving field on QPT.

DOI: 10.7498/aps.62.013402

Related papers

Nonequilibrium quantum phase transition of Bose-Einstein condensates in an optical cavity

Ni Liu, Jiangdan Li, J.-Q. Liang

A link to the Dicke-model type quantum phase transition (QPT) is established by considering a time-dependent driving of the atom-field coupling and nonlinear atom-photon interaction as well, which make a notable impact on the ground-state properties. Motivated by the recent pioneer experiment [K. Baumann, C. Guerlin, F. Brennecke, and T. Esslinger, Nature (London) 464, 1301 (2010)], in this paper we demonstrate theoretically a rich multistable structure and nonequilibrium QPTs in terms of the Floquet theory and generalized rotating wave approximation. The positive nonlinear interaction does not lead to the change of the order-parameter curve except for a slight shift of the critical point. However, an additional full atomic population of the excited state is generated by the negative interaction resulting in the coexistence region of normal and superradiant phases. When both driving and nonlinear interaction exist the single order-parameter curve of the superradiant phase spreads out and a wide area of multiple local minima emerges in addition.

Physical Review AMay 29, 201320 citations

Stimulated radiation characteristics and quantum phase transition for two-component Bose-Einstein condensate in optical cavity

Huang Shan, Ni Liu, Liang Jiu-Qing

Dicke model describes a collective interaction between the two-level atoms and the light cavity and has been predicted to show a peculiar quantum phase transition, which is a second-order phase transition from a normal phase (in a weak-coupling strength) to a superradiant phase (in a strong-coupling strength). The model plays an important role in illustrating the quantum ground-state properties of many-body macroscopic quantum states. In the experiment, Dicke quantum phase transition in an open system could be formed by a Bose-Einstein condensate coupled to a high-finesse optical cavity. This experiment on the Bose-Einstein condensate trapped in the optical cavity have opened new frontiers, which could combine the cold atoms with quantum optics and makes it possible to enter into the strongly coupled regime of cavity quantum electrodynamics. In strong coupled regime, the atoms exchange the photons many times before spontaneous emission and cavity losses set in. It has become a hot research topic in recent years and plays an important role in many fields of modern physics, such as condensed matter physics, nuclear physics, etc. It can be applied to the manipulation of the geometric phase and entanglement in quantum information and computing. Quantum phase transition has been widely studied for the Dicke model as a typical example. Many different research methods about the mean-field approximation have been used to analyze the ground state properties of the Dicke model. In this paper, we study the ground state properties of two-component Bose-Einstein condensate in a single-mode cavity. Meanwhile, the associated quantum phase transition is described by the spin-coherent-state variational method, whose advantage is that the ground state energy and wave function can be obtained without the thermodynamic limit. By taking the average in the boson coherent state, we obtain an equivalent effective pesudospin Hamiltonian, which will be diagonalized by using the spin coherent state. Finally, we can obtain the energy functional, which is the basics of the variation to obtain the numerical solution of photon number and the expression of the atomic number and the ground state energy. This paper presents a rich phase diagram, which can be manipulated by changing the atom-field coupling imbalance between two components and the atom-field frequency detuning. While in the single-mode Dicke model there exist only the normal phase and the superradiation phase. When the frequency of one component atom is zero or the frequency of the two component atoms are equal in optical cavity, the system returns to the standard Dicke model, in which there occurs the second-order phase transition from the normal phase to the superradiant phase by adjusting the atom-field coupling. In conclusion, we discover that the stimulated radiation comes from the collective state of atomic population inversion, which does not exist in the single-mode Dicke model. Meanwhile, the new stimulated-radiation state S and S, which can only be produced by one component of the atom, are observed in the two-component Bose-Einstein condensates in the single-mode optical cavity. By adjusting the atom-field coupling imbalance and the atom-field frequency detuning (the blue or red detuning), the order of the superradiation state and the stimulated-radiation states can be exchanged between the two components of the atom.

Acta Physica SinicaJan 1, 20182 citations

Exotic quantum phase transitions in a Bose-Einstein condensate coupled to an optical cavity

Gang Chen, Xiaoguang Wang, J.-Q. Liang +1 more

An extended Dicke model, which includes atom-atom interactions and a driving classical laser field, is established for a Bose-Einstein condensate inside an ultrahigh-finesse optical cavity. A feasible experimental setup with a strong atom-field coupling is proposed, where most parameters are easily controllable and thus the predicted a second-order superradiant-normal phase transition may be detected by measuring the ground-state atomic population. More intriguingly, second-order phase transition from the superradiant phase to the ``Mott'' phase is also revealed. In addition, a rich and exotic phase diagram is presented.

arXiv:0802.3972Physical Review AAug 29, 200850 citations

Nonlinear atom-photon-interaction-induced population inversion and inverted quantum phase transition of Bose-Einstein condensate in an optical cavity

Xiuqin Zhao, Ni Liu, J.-Q. Liang

In this paper we explore the rich structure of macroscopic many-particle quantum states for a Bose-Einstein condensate in an optical cavity with a tunable nonlinear atom-photon interaction [K. Baumann et al., Nature (London) 464, 1301 (2010)]. Population inversion, bistable normal phases, and the coexistence of normal-superradiant phases are revealed by adjusting the experimentally realizable interaction strength and pump-laser frequency. For the negative (effective) cavity frequency we observe, remarkably, an inverted quantum phase transition (QPT) from the superradiant to the normal phases with an increase in atom-field coupling, which is just opposite the QPT in the normal Dicke model. Bistable macroscopic states are derived analytically in terms of the spin-coherent-state variational method by taking into account both normal and inverted pseudospin states.

arXiv:1405.5612Physical Review AAug 15, 201426 citations

Dicke-Model Phase Transition in the Quantum Motion of a Bose-Einstein Condensate in an Optical Cavity

Dávid Nagy, Gábor Kónya, Gergely Szirmai +1 more

We show that the motion of a laser-driven Bose-Einstein condensate in a high-finesse optical cavity realizes the spin-boson Dicke model. The quantum phase transition of the Dicke model from the normal to the superradiant phase corresponds to the self-organization of atoms from the homogeneous into a periodically patterned distribution above a critical driving strength. The fragility of the ground state due to photon measurement induced backaction is calculated.

arXiv:0912.3260Physical Review LettersApr 2, 2010397 citations

Quantum phase transition and exceptional points of a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian for cold atoms in a dissipative optical cavity with nonlinear atom-photon interactions

Yunqing Luo, Ni Liu, J.-Q. Liang

We investigate in this paper the macroscopic quantum states of multiple atoms in an optical cavity with non-Hermitian coupling motivated by recent experiments. The tunable atom-photon nonlinear interaction is included to demonstrate the variety of quantum phases in the realistic realization of Dicke phase transition with cold atoms. The energies of macroscopic quantum states are obtained in terms of the spin-coherent-state variational method, in which the nonunitary operator of the similarity transformation is used to diagonalize the effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian, which is pseudo-Hermitian below the exceptional point (EP). The superradiant phase (SP) and related quantum phase transition (QPT) disappear completely for the non-Hermitian Dicke model (DM) because of imaginary coupling, which leads to instability of states with nonzero photons. The situation is dramatically changed by including the nonlinear atom-photon interaction generated by the pump field. It is found that the second EP emerges at a higher value of coupling. The spectrum is complex between the two EPs and real otherwise. Phase diagrams are obtained for red and blue cavity pump field detunings, showing explicitly the revival of the SP and QPT, respectively. However, the QPT from the SP to the normal phase with the increase of coupling is opposite to the transition in the normal DM. The critical property of the Berry phase indicates the first-order nature of the QPT, which again is different from the DM, where the QPT is known as the second order.

Physical Review ADec 20, 20246 citations