Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:cond-mat/0312054 · Journal of Optics B Quantum and Semiclassical Optics

The dynamical generation of two-dimensional matter-wave discrete solitons

Artem M. Dudarev, Roberto B. Diener, Qian Niu

Published May 1, 2004• 14 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We suggest a method to experimentally obtain two-dimensional matter-wave discrete solitons with a self-repulsive Bose–Einstein condensate in optical lattices. At the edge of the Brillouin zone, a wavepacket effective mass is negative, which could be treated as an inversion of the nonlinearity sign. Above critical nonlinearity this makes the wavepackets collapse partially into localized modes with a chemical potential located in the gap between the first and the second bands. This critical nonlinearity is also associated with the smallest nonlinearity for which the discrete solitons are possible in the gap. Extensive numerical simulations for square and asymmetric honeycomb lattices in the continuous model illustrate every stage of the process.

DOI
10.1088/1464-4266/6/5/010

Related papers

Simple and efficient generation of gap solitons in Bose-Einstein condensates

Michał Matuszewski, Wieslaw Z. Krolikowski, Marek Trippenbach +1 more

We suggest an efficient method for generating matter-wave gap solitons in a repulsive Bose-Einstein condensate, when the gap soliton is formed from a condensate cloud in a harmonic trap after turning on a one-dimensional optical lattice. We demonstrate numerically that this approach does not require preparing the initial atomic wave packet in a specific state corresponding to the edge of the Brillouin zone of the spectrum, and losses that occur during the soliton generation process can be suppressed by an appropriate adiabatic switching of the optical lattice.

arXiv:nlin/0609031•Physical Review A•Jun 27, 2006•24 citations

Generation and detection of matter-wave gap vortices in optical lattices

Elena A. Ostrovskaya, Tristram J. Alexander, Yuri S. Kivshar

We analyze numerically the process of dynamical generation of spatially localized vortices in Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC's) with repulsive atomic interactions confined by two-dimensional optical lattices. Akin to bright solitons in a repulsive condensate, these nonlinear localized states exist only within the gaps of the matter-wave band-gap spectrum imposed by the periodicity of the lattice potential. We discuss the complex structure of matter-wave phase singularities associated with different types of stationary gap vortices and suggest two different excitation methods. In one method, the condensate is adiabatically driven to the edge of the Brillouin zone where a vortex phase is subsequently imprinted onto the condensate wave packet. Alternatively, a vortex is created in a condensate confined in a harmonic trap and then is nonadiabatically released into the lattice potential. We find that only the latter method leads to robust and reliable generation of vortices within the gap of the matter-wave band-gap spectrum. Moreover, the nonadiabatic excitation can lead to the formation of broad gap vortices from the initial BEC wave packets with a large number of atoms. These broad vortices are intimately connected to self-trapped nonlinear states of the BEC recently demonstrated in experiments with a one-dimensional optical lattice. Our numerical simulations also confirm the feasibility of a homodyne interferometric detection of broad gap vortices.

Physical Review A•Aug 15, 2006•22 citations

Interaction of matter-wave gap solitons in optical lattices

Beata J. Dąbrowska-Wüster, Elena A. Ostrovskaya, Yuri S. Kivshar

Abstract. We study mobility and interaction of gap solitons in a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) confined by an optical lattice potential. Such localized wavepackets can exist only in the gaps of the matter-wave band-gap spectrum and their interaction properties are shown to serve as a measure of discreteness imposed onto a BEC by the lattice potential. We show that inelastic collisions of two weakly localized nearthe-band-edge gap solitons provide simple and effective means for generating strongly localized in-gap solitons through soliton fusion.

•Jan 1, 2004•11 citations

Interaction of matter-wave gap solitons in optical lattices

Beata J. Dąbrowska-Wüster, Elena A. Ostrovskaya, Yuri S. Kivshar

We study the mobility and interaction of gap solitons in a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) confined by an optical lattice potential. Such localized wavepackets can exist only in the gaps of the matter-wave band-gap spectrum and their interaction properties are shown to serve as a measure of the discreteness imposed on a BEC by the lattice potential. We show that inelastic collisions of two weakly localized near-band-edge gap solitons provide a simple and effective means for generating strongly localized in-gap solitons through soliton fusion.

arXiv:cond-mat/0408234•Journal of Optics B Quantum and Semiclassical Optics•Sep 15, 2004•24 citations

Mechanisms of formation of gap solitons of Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattices

Luis Plaja, Julio San Román

It is known that solitons of Bose-Einstein condensates with positive scattering lengths can be produced in optical lattices. The key of this process is the negative sign of the effective mass of the wavepacket as it comes closer to the edge of the first Brillouin zone. However, the underlying assumption of the effective mass approach is the slow variation of the wavefunction envelope between consecutive lattice cells. Previous experiments and computations on this type of solitons show that this is not the usual case. In this contribution we will go beyond the slowly varying assumption to demonstrate that the equations governing the dynamics of gap solitons contain a third derivative in the dispersion. As a result, the dynamics of the stabilized wavepackets is found different that the soliton's. In particular, a radiative component is present, and the stability under collisions is only partially achieved.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Apr 7, 2006•0 citations

Ultracold quantum gases in one-dimensional optical lattice potentials : nonlinear matter wave dynamics

T. Anker

In this thesis I report on experiments on the quantum dynamics of matter waves in a onedimensional lattice potential. A 87Rb Bose-Einstein condensates is prepared in a one-dimensional waveguide in the lowest band of a superimposed optical lattice potential. The action of a weak lattice potential allows to modify the linear wave dispersion. We realized dispersion management by switching from normal to anomalous dispersion during the evolution. In this way the initial expansion of a wave packet is reversed to a compression and thus the effective spreading can be suppressed. By preparing a BEC at the Brillouin zone edge, we observed bright atomic gap solitons – non-spreading wave packets. They form, if the atom number and the lattice potential depth is tuned such that the effect of the repulsive atomic interaction and the anomalous dispersion cancel. For deep lattice potentials our system is described by a discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation, whose dynamics is determined by the tunneling between adjacent lattice sites and the nonlinear phase evolution. In the main part of this thesis I report on the first experimental observation of nonlinear self-trapping for matter waves. The transition from the diffusive regime, characterized by an continuous expansion of the condensate, to the self-trapping regime is accomplished by increasing the atomic density. Due to the corresponding increase of the repulsive atomic interaction the initial expansion stops and the width of the wave packet remains finite. The comparison with a numerical analysis reveals that the effect is due to an inhibition of the site-to-site tunneling induced by the nonlinear phase evolution.

•Jan 1, 2005•0 citations
We suggest a method to experimentally obtain two-dimensional matter-wave discrete solitons with a self-repulsive Bose–Einstein condensate in optical lattices. At the edge of the Brillouin zone, a wavepacket effective mass is negative, which could be treated as an inversion of the nonlinearity sign. Above critical nonlinearity this makes the wavepackets collapse partially into localized modes with a chemical potential located in the gap between the first and the second bands. This critical nonlinearity is also associated with the smallest nonlinearity for which the discrete solitons are possible in the gap. Extensive numerical simulations for square and asymmetric honeycomb lattices in the continuous model illustrate every stage of the process.
We suggest an efficient method for generating matter-wave gap solitons in a repulsive Bose-Einstein condensate, when the gap soliton is formed from a condensate cloud in a harmonic trap after turning on a one-dimensional optical lattice. We demonstrate numerically that this approach does not require preparing the initial atomic wave packet in a specific state corresponding to the edge of the Brillouin zone of the spectrum, and losses that occur during the soliton generation process can be suppressed by an appropriate adiabatic switching of the optical lattice.
We analyze numerically the process of dynamical generation of spatially localized vortices in Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC's) with repulsive atomic interactions confined by two-dimensional optical lattices. Akin to bright solitons in a repulsive condensate, these nonlinear localized states exist only within the gaps of the matter-wave band-gap spectrum imposed by the periodicity of the lattice potential. We discuss the complex structure of matter-wave phase singularities associated with different types of stationary gap vortices and suggest two different excitation methods. In one method, the condensate is adiabatically driven to the edge of the Brillouin zone where a vortex phase is subsequently imprinted onto the condensate wave packet. Alternatively, a vortex is created in a condensate confined in a harmonic trap and then is nonadiabatically released into the lattice potential. We find that only the latter method leads to robust and reliable generation of vortices within the gap of the matter-wave band-gap spectrum. Moreover, the nonadiabatic excitation can lead to the formation of broad gap vortices from the initial BEC wave packets with a large number of atoms. These broad vortices are intimately connected to self-trapped nonlinear states of the BEC recently demonstrated in experiments with a one-dimensional optical lattice. Our numerical simulations also confirm the feasibility of a homodyne interferometric detection of broad gap vortices.
Abstract. We study mobility and interaction of gap solitons in a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) confined by an optical lattice potential. Such localized wavepackets can exist only in the gaps of the matter-wave band-gap spectrum and their interaction properties are shown to serve as a measure of discreteness imposed onto a BEC by the lattice potential. We show that inelastic collisions of two weakly localized nearthe-band-edge gap solitons provide simple and effective means for generating strongly localized in-gap solitons through soliton fusion.
We study the mobility and interaction of gap solitons in a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) confined by an optical lattice potential. Such localized wavepackets can exist only in the gaps of the matter-wave band-gap spectrum and their interaction properties are shown to serve as a measure of the discreteness imposed on a BEC by the lattice potential. We show that inelastic collisions of two weakly localized near-band-edge gap solitons provide a simple and effective means for generating strongly localized in-gap solitons through soliton fusion.
It is known that solitons of Bose-Einstein condensates with positive scattering lengths can be produced in optical lattices. The key of this process is the negative sign of the effective mass of the wavepacket as it comes closer to the edge of the first Brillouin zone. However, the underlying assumption of the effective mass approach is the slow variation of the wavefunction envelope between consecutive lattice cells. Previous experiments and computations on this type of solitons show that this is not the usual case. In this contribution we will go beyond the slowly varying assumption to demonstrate that the equations governing the dynamics of gap solitons contain a third derivative in the dispersion. As a result, the dynamics of the stabilized wavepackets is found different that the soliton's. In particular, a radiative component is present, and the stability under collisions is only partially achieved.
In this thesis I report on experiments on the quantum dynamics of matter waves in a onedimensional lattice potential. A 87Rb Bose-Einstein condensates is prepared in a one-dimensional waveguide in the lowest band of a superimposed optical lattice potential. The action of a weak lattice potential allows to modify the linear wave dispersion. We realized dispersion management by switching from normal to anomalous dispersion during the evolution. In this way the initial expansion of a wave packet is reversed to a compression and thus the effective spreading can be suppressed. By preparing a BEC at the Brillouin zone edge, we observed bright atomic gap solitons – non-spreading wave packets. They form, if the atom number and the lattice potential depth is tuned such that the effect of the repulsive atomic interaction and the anomalous dispersion cancel. For deep lattice potentials our system is described by a discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation, whose dynamics is determined by the tunneling between adjacent lattice sites and the nonlinear phase evolution. In the main part of this thesis I report on the first experimental observation of nonlinear self-trapping for matter waves. The transition from the diffusive regime, characterized by an continuous expansion of the condensate, to the self-trapping regime is accomplished by increasing the atomic density. Due to the corresponding increase of the repulsive atomic interaction the initial expansion stops and the width of the wave packet remains finite. The comparison with a numerical analysis reveals that the effect is due to an inhibition of the site-to-site tunneling induced by the nonlinear phase evolution.