Effect of soliton and vortex geometry on the transport of Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattices
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD (United Kingdom)
We investigate the effect of solitons and vortices, with a range of different topologies, on the dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates in a one-dimensional optical lattice and a three-dimensional harmonic trap. The solitons and vortices are imposed on the initial state of the atom cloud, which is set in oscillatory motion by a sudden displacement of the harmonic trap. We study this motion using both quantum-mechanical calculations, based on the nonlinear Schroedinger equation, and a semiclassical model for transport through the lowest energy band of the optical lattice. We demonstrate that the geometry of the vortices and solitons in the initial state plays a crucial role in the evolution of the atom cloud. In particular, we find that the center-of-mass motion of a condensate containing a vortex is only weakly damped if the vortex core lies parallel to the optical lattice direction, but is strongly damped when the core is orientated perpendicular to the lattice direction. Severe damping is observed for a condensate containing a soliton whose nodal plane is perpendicular to the optical lattice.
- OSTI ID:
- 20643801
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. A, Vol. 69, Issue 6; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.69.063607; (c) 2004 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1050-2947
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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