Quantum instability of a Bose-Einstein condensate with attractive interaction

Year: 2002

Authors: Berman G.P., Smerzi A., Bishop A.R.

Autors Affiliation: Los Alamos Natl Lab, Div Theoret, Los Alamos, NM 87545 USA; Los Alamos Natl Lab, Ctr Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos, NM 87545 USA.

Abstract: We study the quantum and the mean-field Gross-Pitaevskii ( GP) dynamics of a Bose-Einstein condensate gas confined in a toroidal trap. According to GP, if the interatomic interaction is attractive, the rotational states of the system can be dynamically stable or unstable depending on the strength of the mean-field energy. The full quantum analysis, however, reveals that the condensate is always unstable. Quantum fluctuations are particularly important close to the GP stability borderline, even for systems with a relatively large number of condensate atoms.

Journal/Review: PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS

Volume: 88 (12)      Pages from: 120402-1  to: 120402-4

KeyWords: Ground-state; Gases
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.88.120402

Citations: 26
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