Controlled formation and reflection of a bright solitary matter-wave

A. L. Marchant, T. P. Billam, T. P. Wiles, M. M. H. Yu, S. A. Gardiner and S. L. Cornish ()
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A. L. Marchant: Joint Quantum Centre (JQC), Durham—Newcastle, Durham University
T. P. Billam: Jack Dodd Centre for Quantum Technology, University of Otago
T. P. Wiles: Joint Quantum Centre (JQC), Durham—Newcastle, Durham University
M. M. H. Yu: Joint Quantum Centre (JQC), Durham—Newcastle, Durham University
S. A. Gardiner: Joint Quantum Centre (JQC), Durham—Newcastle, Durham University
S. L. Cornish: Joint Quantum Centre (JQC), Durham—Newcastle, Durham University

Nature Communications, 2013, vol. 4, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract Bright solitons are non-dispersive wave solutions, arising in a diverse range of nonlinear, one-dimensional systems, including atomic Bose–Einstein condensates with attractive interactions. In reality, cold-atom experiments can only approach the idealized one-dimensional limit necessary for the realization of true solitons. Nevertheless, it remains possible to create bright solitary waves, the three-dimensional analogue of solitons, which maintain many of the key properties of their one-dimensional counterparts. Such solitary waves offer many potential applications and provide a rich testing ground for theoretical treatments of many-body quantum systems. Here we report the controlled formation of a bright solitary matter-wave from a Bose–Einstein condensate of 85Rb, which is observed to propagate over a distance of ∼1.1 mm in 150 ms with no observable dispersion. We demonstrate the reflection of a solitary wave from a repulsive Gaussian barrier and contrast this to the case of a repulsive condensate, in both cases finding excellent agreement with theoretical simulations using the three-dimensional Gross–Pitaevskii equation.

Date: 2013
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2893

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