Dynamics and stability of Bose-Einstein condensates with long-range interaction

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Jörg Main
• Subject Area: Optics, Quantum Optics and Physics of Atoms, Molecules and Plasmas
• Term: from 2011 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 184296278

The objective of this proposal is to advance the understanding of the physics of Bose-Einstein condensates with additional long-range interactions, as realized experimentally in a gas of chromium atoms with dipole-dipole interaction, and to give experimentalists the ranges of relevant physical parameters at hand where to look for new phenomena in such condensates. Specifically, we will address the following topics: 1) Can the transition to chaotic dynamics in excited condensate states discovered recently using a simple variational approach be confirmed by accurate numerical solutions? If so, what will be experimental signatures of such dynamics? 2) The theoretical analysis of collective mode dispersion in multi-layer stacks of two-dimensional dipolar condensates has revealed a strong enhancement of the roton instability. What are the physical parameters for which signatures of the onset of the instability can be seen in a real experiment, with confinement in all three space directions? 3) Can one pin down the physical parameters where two-dimensional bright solitons predicted to appear in chromium condensates can be observed in a real experiment? 4) What are the ranges of parameters where embedded vortices can exist in dipolar condensates and condensates with electromagnetically induced attractive 1=r interaction? - The numerical tools for solving the Gross-Pitaevskii and Bogoliubov equations will be novel extended variational techniques based on coupled Gaussian wave packets.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants