The dependence of the three lowest order spatial correlation functions of a harmonically confined Bose gas on temperature and interaction strength is presented at equilibrium. Our analysis is based on a stochastic Langevin equation for the order parameter of a weakly interacting gas. Comparison of the predicted first order correlation functions to those of appropriate mean field theories demonstrates the potentially crucial role of density fluctuations on the equilibrium coherence length. Furthermore, the change in both coherence length and shape of the correlation function, from Gaussian to exponential, with increasing temperature is quantified. Moreover, the presented results for higher order correlation functions are shown to be in agreement with existing predictions. Experimentalists often define a 'quasi-condensate' via bimodal density fits, and this work reveals how consideration of local density-density correlations provides an alternative determination of this quantity.
The dependence of the three lowest order spatial correlation functions of a harmonically confined Bose gas on temperature and interaction strength is presented at equilibrium. Our analysis is based on a stochastic Langevin equation for the order parameter of a weakly interacting gas. Comparison of the predicted first order correlation functions to those of appropriate mean field theories demonstrates the potentially crucial role of density fluctuations on the equilibrium coherence length. Furthermore, the change in both coherence length and shape of the correlation function, from Gaussian to exponential, with increasing temperature is quantified. Moreover, the presented results for higher order correlation functions are shown to be in agreement with existing predictions. Experimentalists often define a 'quasi-condensate' via bimodal density fits, and this work reveals how consideration of local density-density correlations provides an alternative determination of this quantity.
The dependence of the three lowest order spatial correlation functions of a harmonically confined Bose gas on temperature and interaction strength is presented at equilibrium. Our analysis is based on a stochastic Langevin equation for the order parameter of a weakly interacting gas. Comparison of the predicted first order correlation functions to those of appropriate mean field theories demonstrates the potentially crucial role of density fluctuations on the equilibrium coherence length. Furthermore, the change in both coherence length and shape of the correlation function, from Gaussian to exponential, with increasing temperature is quantified. Moreover, the presented results for higher order correlation functions are shown to be in agreement with existing predictions. Experimentalists often define a ``quasi-condensate'' via bimodal density fits, and this work reveals how consideration of local density-density correlations provides an alternative determination of this quantity.
We present a theoretical analysis of spatial correlations in a one-dimensional driven-dissipative nonequilibrium condensate. Starting from a stochastic generalized Gross-Pitaevskii equation, we derive a noisy Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation for the phase dynamics. For sufficiently strong interactions, the coherence decays exponentially in close analogy to the equilibrium Bose gas. When interactions are small on a scale set by the nonequilibrium condition, we find through numerical simulations a crossover between a Gaussian and exponential decay with peculiar scaling of the coherence length on the fluid density and noise strength.
Weakly interacting Bose gases in a disorder environment have long been a challenging topic in the field of solid-state physics due to the intriguing interplay between superfluidity and localization. In this thesis we investigate theoretically the equilibrium properties of one- and three-dimensional harmonically trapped dirty Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). In particular we focus on the decomposition of the total particle density into three components, namely, the condensate density, the thermal density, and the density of fragmented local Bose-Einstein condensates within the respective minima of the random potential landscape. In order to determine the different density components we develop a Hartree-Fock mean-field theory for a weakly interacting trapped BEC in a random environment, then specialize it to contact interaction and delta-correlated disorder. This non-perturbative theory is worked out on the basis of the replica method, which represents a well- established tool to deal with disorder problems. With this we calculate the corresponding free energy at finite temperature and derive from it the underlying self-consistency equations for the respective density components. Then, as a first step, we investigate a quasi one-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensed gas in a harmonic trapping potential with an additional delta- correlated disorder potential at zero temperature. To this end we solve the self-consistency equations within the Thomas-Fermi approximation and find the emergence of a Bose-glass region, where the condensate vanishes. We corroborate this analysis by an elaborate numerical treatment, where the corresponding one-dimensional time-independent Gross-Pitaevskii equation is numerically solved and disorder-ensemble averages of the condensate wave function are performed. The variance of the condensate wave function quantifies the number of bosons which condense in the local minima of the random potential. For weak disorder these mini-condensates turn out to occur preferentially at the border of the condensate, while for intermediate disorder strength this happens in the trap center. Additionally we use a variational ansatz in order to describe analytically the numerically observed redistribution of the fragmented mini-condensates with increasing disorder strength. In close analogy to the one-dimensional case we then treat the three-dimensional dirty Bose gas in an isotropic harmonic trap and a delta- correlated disorder potential at zero temperature using the corresponding self-consistency equations obtained via the Hartree-Fock mean-field theory within the Thomas-Fermi approximation. Additionally we use a variational ansatz, whose results turn out to coincide qualitatively with those obtained from the Thomas-Fermi approximation. Inparticular, a first order quantum phase transition from the superfluid phase, where the condensate density contributes to the total density, to the Bose-glass phase, where all particles are in the mini-condensates, is detected at a critical disorder strength, which agrees with findings in the literature. Furthermore, in a generaltriaxial harmonic trap, we investigate the geometric effect of different trap aspect ratios on the respective properties of the dirty BEC system. Finally, we consider the three- dimensional dirty BEC at finite temperature. This allows us to study the impact of both temperature and disorder fluctuations on the respective components of the density as well as their Thomas-Fermi radii. In particular, we find that the superfluid region, the Bose-glass region, and the thermal region coexist. Furthermore, depending on the system parameters, three phase transitions are detected, namely, one from the superfluid to the Bose-glass phase, one from the Boseglass to the thermal phase, and finally one directly from the superfluid to the thermal phase. All these results could be particularly useful for a quantitative analysis of world-wide on-going experiments with dirty bosons in quasi one-dimensional and three-dimensional harmonic traps.
We study first- and second-order coherence of trapped dilute Bose gases using appropriate correlation functions. Special attention is given to the discussion of second-order or density correlations. Except for a small region around the surface of a Bose-Einstein condensate the correlations can be accurately described as those of a locally homogeneous gas with a spatially varying chemical potential. The degrees of first- and second-order coherence are therefore functions of temperature, chemical potential, and position. The second-order correlation function is governed both by the tendency of bosonic atoms to cluster and by a strong repulsion at small distances due to atomic interactions. In present experiments both effects are of comparable magnitude. Below the critical temperature the range of the bosonic correlation is affected by the presence of collective quasiparticle excitations. The results of some recent experiments on second- and third-order coherence are discussed. It is shown that the relation between the measured quantities and the correlation functions is much weaker than previously assumed.
We study, within the framework of the classical-field approximation, the density correlations of a weakly interacting expanding Bose gas for the whole range of temperatures across the Bose-Einstein condensation threshold. We focus on elongated quasi-one-dimensional systems where there is a huge discrepancy between the existing theory and experimental results [A. Perrin et al., Nat. Phys. 8, 195 (2012)]. We find that the density correlation function is not reduced for temperatures below the critical one as it is predicted for the ideal gas or for a weakly interacting system within the Bogoliubov approximation. This behavior of the density correlations agrees with the above-mentioned experiment with the elongated system. Although the system was much larger than that studied here, we believe that the behavior of the density correlation function found there is quite generic. Our theoretical study indicates also large density fluctuations in the trap in the quasicondensate regime where only phase fluctuations were expected. We argue that the enhanced density fluctuations can originate in the presence of interactions in the system, or more precisely in the presence of spontaneous dark solitons in the elongated gas at thermal equilibrium.