Symmetry breaking and self-trapping of a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate in a double-well potential
Year: 2009
Type: article
Abstract: The quantum self-trapping phenomenon of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) represents a remarkable nonlinear effect of wide interest. By considering a purely dipolar BEC in a double-well potential, we study how the dipole orientation affects the ground-state structure and the transition between self-trapping and Josephson oscillations in dynamics. Three-dimensional numerical results and an effective two-mode model demonstrate that the onset of self-trapping of a dipolar BEC can be radically modified by the dipole orientation. We also analyze the failure of the two-mode model in predicting the rate of Josephson oscillations. We hope that our results can motivate experimental work as well as future studies of self-trapping of ultracold dipolar gases in optical lattices.
Source: Physical Review A
Authors: Bo Xiong, Jiangbin Gong, Han Pu, Weizhu Bao, Baowen Li
Institutions: National University of Singapore, Rice University
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2013008485