Generation of Dark-Bright Soliton Trains in Superfluid-Superfluid Counterflow

Journal Article · Fri Feb 11 00:00:00 EST 2011 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.106.065302· OSTI ID:21532303

Hamner, C; Chang, J J; Engels, P; Hoefer, M A ^[1]

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1. Washington State University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Pullman, Washington 99164 (United States)

The dynamics of two penetrating superfluids exhibit an intriguing variety of nonlinear effects. Using two distinguishable components of a Bose-Einstein condensate, we investigate the counterflow of two superfluids in a narrow channel. We present the first experimental observation of trains of dark-bright solitons generated by the counterflow. Our observations are theoretically interpreted by three-dimensional numerical simulations for the coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations and the analysis of a jump in the two relatively flowing components' densities. Counterflow-induced modulational instability for this miscible system is identified as the central process in the dynamics.

• OSTI ID: 21532303
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 106, Issue 6; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.065302; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BOSE-EINSTEIN CONDENSATION
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DENSITY
INSTABILITY
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
SOLITONS
SUPERFLUIDITY
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
QUASI PARTICLES
SIMULATION