Mean field approach has recently been used to model narrow Feshbach resonance passage. We investigate the structure of the corresponding classical phase space and calculate change in the action which corresponds to finite-rate efficiency of the sweep.
We study a nonlinear generalization of the Landau-Zener resonance-crossing problem relevant to coherent photo- and magneto-association of ultracold atoms. Due to the structure of the corresponding classical phase space, the adiabatic theorem breaks down even at very small sweep rates, and the adiabatic approximation diverges because of the crossing of a separatrix. First, by introducing a complex term into the Hamiltonian of the system, we eliminate this divergence and construct a valid zero-order approximation. Further, taking into account that the molecular conversion efficiency and the change of the classical adiabatic invariant at the separatrix crossing are related quantities, we calculate the change of the action for the situation when the system starts from the all-atomic state that corresponds to the case of zero initial action. The absolute error of the presented formula for the change in the action is of the order of or less than 10^-4.
We consider dynamics of a slowly time-dependent Dicke model, which represents a many-body generalization of the Landau-Zener model. In particular, the model describes narrow Feshbach resonance passage in an ultracold gas of Fermi atoms. Adiabaticity is destroyed when a parameter crosses a critical value, even at very slow sweeping rates of a parameter. The dynamics crucially depends on direction of the sweep. We apply our recent analysis (A. P. Itin and P. T\"orm\"a, e-print arXiv:0901.4778) to the ``inverse'' sweep through the resonance, corresponding (in a context of Feshbach resonance passage) to dissociation of molecules. On a level of the mean-field approximation, the dynamics is equivalent to a molecular condensate formation from Bose atoms within a two-mode model. Mapping the system to a Painlev\'e equation allows us to calculate deviation from adiabaticity at very slow sweeps analytically.
We discuss the dynamics of approximate adiabatic invariants in several nonlinear models being related to the physics of Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). We show that the nonadiabatic dynamics in Feshbach resonance passage, nonlinear Landau-Zener (NLZ) tunneling, and BEC tunneling oscillations in a double well can be considered within a unifying approach based on the theory of separatrix crossings. The separatrix crossing theory was applied previously to some problems of classical mechanics, plasma physics, and hydrodynamics, but has not been used in the rapidly growing BEC-related field yet. We derive explicit formulas for the change in the action in several models. Extensive numerical calculations support the theory and demonstrate its universal character. We also discovered a nonlinear phenomenon in the NLZ model which we propose to call separated adiabatic tunneling.