The unique achievement of the work on multidimensional (quasi-) solitons in the form of quantum droplets (QDs) is the creation of such stable objects in real experiments and, in addition, the observation of collisions between the stable QDs. This chapter, first, offers a brief summary of the results for QDs produced by the experimental work with binary BECs in the ultracold gas of potassium atoms, which was performed by Cabrera et al. (2016), Cheiney et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 135301 (2018)], Semeghi et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 235301 (2018)], and Ferioli et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 090401 (2019)]. Then, the results of D’Errico et al. [Phys. Rev. Res. 1, 033155 (2019)] that demonstrate the creation of QDs with an essentially longer lifetime and a possibility to channel stable motion of these droplets in a waveguide are summarized too. Finally, the chapter includes a brief outline of earlier experiments that had produced robust QDs in single-component dipolar BECs in atomic gases of dysprosium [Kadau et al., Nature 530, 194–197 (2016); Schmitt et al., Nature 539, 259–262 (2016); Ferrier-Barbut et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 116 215301 (2016); Ferrier-Barbut et al., Phys. Rev. A 97, 011604 (2018); Böttcher et al., 2019] and erbium [Chomaz et al., Phys. Rev. X 6, 041039 (2016)]. Generating droplets in this setting is possible using attraction provided by the long-range dipole–dipole interaction and stabilizing repulsion induced by the contact interaction, including the Lee–Huang–Yang term. The presentation in this chapter partly follows the review of the topic recently presented by Luo et al. [Front. Phys. 16, 32501 (2021)].
The unique achievement of the work on multidimensional (quasi-) solitons in the form of quantum droplets (QDs) is the creation of such stable objects in real experiments and, in addition, the observation of collisions between the stable QDs. This chapter, first, offers a brief summary of the results for QDs produced by the experimental work with binary BECs in the ultracold gas of potassium atoms, which was performed by Cabrera et al. (2016), Cheiney et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 135301 (2018)], Semeghi et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 235301 (2018)], and Ferioli et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 090401 (2019)]. Then, the results of D’Errico et al. [Phys. Rev. Res. 1, 033155 (2019)] that demonstrate the creation of QDs with an essentially longer lifetime and a possibility to channel stable motion of these droplets in a waveguide are summarized too. Finally, the chapter includes a brief outline of earlier experiments that had produced robust QDs in single-component dipolar BECs in atomic gases of dysprosium [Kadau et al., Nature 530, 194–197 (2016); Schmitt et al., Nature 539, 259–262 (2016); Ferrier-Barbut et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 116 215301 (2016); Ferrier-Barbut et al., Phys. Rev. A 97, 011604 (2018); Böttcher et al., 2019] and erbium [Chomaz et al., Phys. Rev. X 6, 041039 (2016)]. Generating droplets in this setting is possible using attraction provided by the long-range dipole–dipole interaction and stabilizing repulsion induced by the contact interaction, including the Lee–Huang–Yang term. The presentation in this chapter partly follows the review of the topic recently presented by Luo et al. [Front. Phys. 16, 32501 (2021)].
Among settings which have recently been elaborated for the creation of stable multidimensional solitons, most advanced, as concerns the theory and experiment alike, is the work with quantum droplets (QDs) in atomic BEC. Important theoretical predictions for fundamental and topologically structured soliton-like (stably self-trapped) QDs have been published in many papers, starting from the pioneering work of Petrov [Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 155302 (2015)]. Simultaneously, the experimental advancement in the making of QDs in binary BECs, as well as in single-component BECs of atoms carrying magnetic dipole moments, have been really remarkable and unique. Successful experiments followed the first theoretical prediction of the QDs very quickly, and the progress in the experimental work was much faster than in other areas of physics where stable multidimensional solitons were predicted. The basis of these works is a correction to the MF (mean-field) BEC dynamics produced by quantum fluctuations around MF states. The correction was first predicted in 1957 by Lee, Huang, and Yang (LHY). The breakthrough proposal made by Petrov [Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 155302 (2015)] was to use the effective higher-order (quartic) self-repulsion, produced by the LHY effect in the atomic BEC, as a mechanism arresting the collapse driven by mutual attraction of two self-repulsive components in a binary quantum bosonic gas. The balance between the inter-species attraction and LHY-induced self-repulsion gives rise to stable 3D and quasi-2D (pancake-shaped) localized bound states in the form of the quantum droplets (QDs). In single-component condensates of magnetic atoms, the attraction is provided by the long-range dipole–dipole interaction (Chomaz et al., 2016; Schmitt et al., 2016). The competition between the MF attraction and LHY repulsion maintains a superfluid state whose density (taking very low values) cannot exceed a certain maximum, thus making it effectively incompressible. This is a reason why this quantum macroscopic state of matter is identified as a superfluid. Accordingly, localized states filled by this quantum fluid are called “droplets.” In addition to the 3D QDs, droplets in the effectively 2D setting, which may exist under the action of tight confinement in one direction, imposed by an external potential, were theoretically predicted [Petrov and Astrakharchik, Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 100401 (2016)] and experimentally created [Cabrera et al., Science 359, 301-304 (2018)] too. This chapter provides a condensed review of basic theoretical results for stable QDs in binary BECs, maintained through the stable balance between the inter-species attraction and intra-species LHY repulsion. Both fundamental modes and ones with embedded vorticity are considered. The presentation is partly based on a review article by Luo et al. [Front. Phys. 16, 32501 (2021)]. In addition to 2D and 3D self-trapped QDs in free space, the present chapter addresses 2D fundamental and vortex modes trapped in a singular attractive potential, ∼−1/r2, which are stabilized by the LHY repulsion. Two subsequent chapters present a summary of experimental findings for QDs in binary BECs and for QDs in single-component BECs of magnetic atoms.
We study two-dimensional (2D) isotropic quantum droplets (QDs) in dipolar binary Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs). The QDs are supported by the competition between the 2D form of the Lee-Huang-Yang (LHY) term and the isotropic dipole-dipole interactions (DDIs). Moreover, the DDIs in the 2D plane can be tuned to be either repulsive or attractive. Before that, QDs in dipolar BECs were often explored in three-dimensional (3D) systems, with competition between the attractive DDIs and the repulsive LHY term. Unlike the 3D system, the LHY term of the 2D binary system behaves in a logarithmic form, which can feature both attraction and repulsion. In this case, the QDs can be produced regardless of the interactions (attraction, repulsion, or zero) that the mean-field effect represents. In this paper, we model the aforementioned QDs via the 2D binary dipolar BECs with the competition between isotropic DDIs and the logarithmic LHY term. Their characteristic parameters (the peak density, IP, chemical potential, μ, and effective area, Aeff) using both numerical and theoretical methods are discussed. The centripetal collision and oblique collision between moving QDs are also studied.
Bose-Einstein condensation(BEC) has been a research hotspot in cold atom physics for the past few decades. Recently, experiments on BECs have reported the observation of liquid-like quantum droplets, attracting significant interest. The physics for forming quantum droplets can be explained by zero-point quantum fluctuation which effectively prohibit the collapse caused by the mean-field interactions between the atoms. The stabilization mechanism beyond the mean-field theory, induced by quantum fluctuations, can be described by the Lee–Huang–Yang(LHY) correction. Normally, forming stable 2D or 3D solitons in free space is a challenging problem. Additionally, an intriguing question is how to generate 2D or 3D solitons with embedded vorticity. The LHY stability mechanism offers a new approach to producing stable solitons and vortex solitons in BECs. In this thesis, two-dimensional vortex quantum droplets in Bose-Einstein condensates, including those with and without external potential, are examined. The study of solitons and vortex solitons in BECs under mean-field interactions and external potential has yielded significant results. This thesis expands this field by introducing the LHY correction to study stable quantum droplets and vortex droplets in BECs. The work chapters begin with studying binary quantum droplets in free space, considering the case where interspecies interactions are weakly attractive and intraspecies interactions are weakly repulsive. The zero-vorticity, semi-vortex, and binary vortex quantum droplets are studied in Chapter 3. Stable semi-vortex quantum droplets with embedded vorticity up to 8 are found in this system. This result gives a way to form stable vortex droplets with high topological charges in free space by controlling one component with zero vorticity and the other component with embedded vorticity. The stability and properties of these droplets are systematically studied. Chapter 4 explores the vortex quantum droplets and hidden vortex droplets confined within a radial lattice trap. It is found that the existence curves of the droplets confined within this optical trap could violate the Vakhitov-Kolokolov(VK) criterion, which is a necessary condition to form a stable soliton. A remarkable finding is that the vortex and hidden vortex quantum droplets in this radial lattice remain stable when they carry the embedded vorticity up to 11. The double-ring vortex and hidden vortex quantum droplets confined within this radial lattice are also discussed. The work expands from non-magnetic atoms to magnetic atoms in Chapter 5, which needs to consider the dipole-dipole interactions(DDIs). The anisotropic dipolar vortex quantum droplets trapped in an annular potential are studied. Under the effect of the ring shape potential, the double peak ring-shaped vortex droplets remain stable when they carry the embedded vorticity up to 11. It is the first time stable droplets with high topological charges have been formed in a dipolar system. Additionally, the shape transformation of dipolar vortex droplets induced by the strength of the mean-field interaction is examined. Finally, the behavior of dipolar vortex droplets confined within a weak-depth annular potential is also discussed. The results of this thesis may prove highly useful in creating stable vortex quantum droplets in Bose-Einstein condensates and advancing the broader field of ultracold atoms.
Dipolar quantum gases, encompassing atoms and molecules with significant dipole moments, exhibit unique long-range and anisotropic dipole-dipole interactions (DDI), distinguishing them from systems dominated by short-range contact interactions. This review explores their behavior across dimensions, focusing on magnetic atoms in quasi-2D in comparison to 3D. In 3D, strong DDI leads to phenomena like anisotropic superfluidity, quantum droplets stabilized by Lee-Huang-Yang corrections, and supersolid states with density modulations. In 2D, we discuss a new scenario where DDI induces angle-dependent Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transitions and potential supersolidity, as suggested by recent experimental realizations of strongly dipolar systems in quasi-2D geometries. We identify key challenges for future experimental and theoretical work on strongly dipolar 2D systems. The review concludes by highlighting how these unique 2D dipolar systems could advance fundamental research as well as simulate novel physical phenomena.
Bose-Einstein condensation(BEC) has been a research hotspot in cold atom physics for the past few decades. Recently, experiments on BECs have reported the observation of liquid-like quantum droplets, attracting significant interest. The physics for forming quantum droplets can be explained by zero-point quantum fluctuation which effectively prohibit the collapse caused by the mean-field interactions between the atoms. The stabilization mechanism beyond the mean-field theory, induced by quantum fluctuations, can be described by the Lee–Huang–Yang(LHY) correction. Normally, forming stable 2D or 3D solitons in free space is a challenging problem. Additionally, an intriguing question is how to generate 2D or 3D solitons with embedded vorticity. The LHY stability mechanism offers a new approach to producing stable solitons and vortex solitons in BECs. In this thesis, two-dimensional vortex quantum droplets in Bose-Einstein condensates, including those with and without external potential, are examined. The study of solitons and vortex solitons in BECs under mean-field interactions and external potential has yielded significant results. This thesis expands this field by introducing the LHY correction to study stable quantum droplets and vortex droplets in BECs. The work chapters begin with studying binary quantum droplets in free space, considering the case where interspecies interactions are weakly attractive and intraspecies interactions are weakly repulsive. The zero-vorticity, semi-vortex, and binary vortex quantum droplets are studied in Chapter 3. Stable semi-vortex quantum droplets with embedded vorticity up to 8 are found in this system. This result gives a way to form stable vortex droplets with high topological charges in free space by controlling one component with zero vorticity and the other component with embedded vorticity. The stability and properties of these droplets are systematically studied. Chapter 4 explores the vortex quantum droplets and hidden vortex droplets confined within a radial lattice trap. It is found that the existence curves of the droplets confined within this optical trap could violate the Vakhitov-Kolokolov(VK) criterion, which is a necessary condition to form a stable soliton. A remarkable finding is that the vortex and hidden vortex quantum droplets in this radial lattice remain stable when they carry the embedded vorticity up to 11. The double-ring vortex and hidden vortex quantum droplets confined within this radial lattice are also discussed. The work expands from non-magnetic atoms to magnetic atoms in Chapter 5, which needs to consider the dipole-dipole interactions(DDIs). The anisotropic dipolar vortex quantum droplets trapped in an annular potential are studied. Under the effect of the ring shape potential, the double peak ring-shaped vortex droplets remain stable when they carry the embedded vorticity up to 11. It is the first time stable droplets with high topological charges have been formed in a dipolar system. Additionally, the shape transformation of dipolar vortex droplets induced by the strength of the mean-field interaction is examined. Finally, the behavior of dipolar vortex droplets confined within a weak-depth annular potential is also discussed. The results of this thesis may prove highly useful in creating stable vortex quantum droplets in Bose-Einstein condensates and advancing the broader field of ultracold atoms.
A briefly formulated update of the recently published review [B.A. Malomed, Multidimensional soliton systems. Adv. Phys. 9(1) (2024), pp. 2301592] on the topic of multidimensional solitons (chiefly, in nonlinear optics and atomic Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs)) is presented. The update briefly summarizes some notable results on this topic that have been reported very recently, and offers a compact outline of the directions of the current experiment and theoretical work in this and related fields. In particular, as concerns newest experimental findings, included are the creation of multiple quantum droplets in prolate BEC, and the observation of expanding toroidal light structures in linear optics. The update of theoretical results includes the analysis of 2D solitons in the optical system with the quadratic nonlinearity and fractional diffraction, and the prediction of stable 3D vortex solitons in various BEC schemes with long-range interactions.