Formation of matter-wave soliton trains by modulational instability
Abstract
Solitons—waveforms that keep their shape as they travel—can form in various environments where waves propagate, such as optical media. In a one-dimensional tube of bosonic atoms, solitons are formed when the interaction between the atoms is suddenly switched from repulsive to attractive. This causes the atoms to clump together into a “train” of solitons. Nguyen et al. used a nearly nondestructive imaging technique to follow the dynamics of this train. The solitons repulsed each other and underwent collective oscillations known as breathing modes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Apr 28, 2017
- Source ID
- 10.1126/science.aal3220
Entities
People
- De Luo
- Jason H V Nguyen
- Randall G. Hulet
Organizations
- Army Research Office
- National Science Foundation
- Office of Naval Research
- Rice University
- Robert A. Welch Foundation