arXiv subjects

Nick P. Proukakis

Publications and source records attributed to Nick P. Proukakis.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Dynamical reconstruction of SPARC galactic halos within self-interacting fuzzy dark matter

Fuzzy Dark Matter with non-zero quartic self-interaction (SFDM) is shown to be a viable model for simultaneously fitting 17 dark-matter-dominated galaxies from the SPARC database with a single $(m,g)$ point in the space of boson masses and self-coupling constants: $\log_{10}\left(m \,[\mathrm{eV}/c^2] \right) = \log_{10}(1.98)-22^{+0.8}_{-0.6}$ and $\log_{10}\left(g \, [\mathrm{eV \, m}^3/kg] \right) = \log_{10}(9.08)-10^{+0.4}_{-1.2}$. This is based on the combination of an appropriately constructed static super-Gaussian profile for the inner galactic core (`soliton') region, and a Navarro-Frenk-White profile for the surrounding halo region. The explicit identification of a non-zero interaction strength may resolve issues of inconsistent constraints in non-interacting FDM. Our identification of these parameters enables the explicit {\em dynamical} reconstruction of potential host halos for such galaxies through numerical solution of the SFDM equations; we outline a {proof-of-principle procedure via merger simulations} for two galaxies (UGCA444, UGC07866), and show that this yields viable rotation curves over a dynamical period of ${\cal O}(1) \, Gyr$.

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arXiv2025

Fuzzy dark matter halos with repulsive self-interactions: coherent soliton and halo vortex network with moderate self-coupling

We examine the impact of moderate repulsive self-interactions on fuzzy dark matter halos generated by merging smaller Gaussian density concentrations. We study the size of the core and the granules, the spatial dependence of the field's coherence, the turbulent vortex tangle and the oscillation frequency of the central soliton, covering the range from quantum-pressure-dominated to self-interaction-dominated stabilisation of the solitonic core. For the probed self-coupling strengths $g$ and with a fixed initial configuration, mergers with increasing $g$ result in cores with increased size and a reduced central density, oscillating with decreased frequency, in accordance with expectations from the study of isolated Self-interacting Fuzzy Dark Matter (SFDM) solitons. By contrast, the characteristic granule size and typical inter-vortex distances in the surrounding halo are only mildly affected, growing much less relative to the core. The total length of the vortex network, although less robust, shows no signs of decay over our simulation timescales. The generated halos therefore develop central self-interaction-dominated cores, but with the outer halos still supported by quantum-pressure and classical kinetic energy in equipartition as in the non-interacting case. Furthermore, measures of coherence of the field clearly separate the condensed core, identified via the Penrose-Onsager (largest eigenvalue) mode of the entire classical field, from the surrounding quasi-coherent halo. Unlike the $g=0$ case, we observe a relative increase of incoherent fluctuations coexisting with the coherent mode at the centre of the halo with increasing $g$, a phenomenon also observed in laboratory condensates at non-zero temperature.

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arXiv2025

Dynamical Dipolar Condensate Finite Temperature Stochastic Gross--Pitaevskii--Boltzmann Model

We formulate a generalized self-consistent stochastic quantum kinetic theory for finite-temperature ultracold Bose gases interacting via a generic long-range interaction, applicable to a broad range of systems, by means of Keldysh non-equilibrium field theory: such model is explicitly cast in the context of dipolar atomic gases, and is also shown to encompass established stochastic and kinetic treatments for ultracold atomic gases with local interactions as special cases. The condensate and low-lying modes are collectively described by a stochastic Gross-Pitaevskii equation with two collisional terms and their corresponding stochastic noise terms, with thermal particles dynamically modelled through a self-consistently coupled Quantum Boltzmann equation and dipolar interactions included by means of a coupled Poisson-like equation. Additional use of Bogoliubov-de Gennes analysis generating the Lee-Huang-Yang correction term relevant in the $T=0$ quantum-fluctuation-dominated regime, allows us to postulate the extension of such model offering a plausible scheme for interpolating between quantum-dominated and thermal-dominated fluctuation regimes, the consistency of which remains to be tested against experimental observations.

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arXiv2025

A Century of Bose-Einstein Condensation

Bose-Einstein Condensation is a phenomenon at the heart of many of the past century's most intriguing and fundamental manifestations, such as superfluidity and superconductivity. It was discovered theoretically some 100 years ago, and unequivocally experimentally demonstrated in the context of weakly interacting gases 30 years ago. Since then, it has spawned a revolution in our understanding of fundamental phases of matter and collective quantum dynamics extending across all physical scales and energies, with unforeseen implications and the potential for envisaged quantum technological applications.

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arXiv2025

Virialized Profiles and Oscillations of Self-interacting Fuzzy Dark Matter Solitons

We investigate the effect of self-interactions on the shape and oscillations of the solitonic core profile of condensed fuzzy dark matter systems without the backdrop of a halo, revealing universal features in terms of an appropriately scaled interaction strength characterizing the crossover between the weakly- and strongly-interacting regimes. Our semi-analytical results are further confirmed by spherically symmetric simulations of the Gross-Pitaevskii-Poisson equations. Inverting our obtained relations, we highlight a degeneracy that could significantly affect constraints on the boson mass in the presence of repulsive boson self-interactions and propose the simultaneous extraction of static and dynamical solitonic features as a way to uniquely constrain both the boson mass and self-interactions.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2024

Unified description of corpuscular and fuzzy bosonic dark matter II: Dissipation and stochastic forces

We extend our previous work (Proukakis {\em et al.}, Phys.~Rev.~D~108,~083513 (2023)) on the dynamics of bosonic, non-relativistic and self-interacting dark matter that simultaneously contains both a ``fuzzy'' low-momentum component and one with higher momenta that may be well approximated as a collection of distinct particles and described by a corresponding phase-space distribution. Starting from the non-relativistic Schwinger-Keldysh action and working beyond leading-order in the Keldysh basis fields, encoding stochastic fluctuations of the slow modes and all fluctuations of the fast modes, we obtain stochastic self-consistently coupled Gross-Pitaevskii, collisional Boltzmann kinetic and Poisson equations. Our final set of equations, which feature various collisional (dissipative and scattering) contributions and two corresponding independent stochastic force terms, are consistent with generalized fluctuation-dissipation type relations in the limit of thermal equilibrium between the particles.

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arXiv2024

Hybrid model of condensate and particle Dark Matter: linear perturbations in the hydrodynamic limit

We analyse perturbations of self-interacting, scalar field dark matter that contains modes both in a coherent condensate state and an incoherent particle-like state. Starting from the coupled equations for the condensate, the particles' phase space distribution and their mutual gravitational potential, first derived from first principles in earlier work by the authors, we derive a hydrodynamic limit of two coupled fluids and study their linearized density perturbations in an expanding universe, also including particle pressure under an assumption for an equation of state consistent with the dynamical equations. We find that away from the condensate-only or particle-only limits, and for certain ranges of the parameters, such self-interacting mixtures can significantly enhance the density power spectrum above the standard linear $Λ$CDM value at localised wavenumbers, even pushing structure formation into the non-linear regime earlier than expected in $Λ$CDM for these scales. We also note that such mixtures can lead to degeneracies between models with different boson masses and self-coupling strengths, in particular between self-coupled models and non-coupled Fuzzy Dark Matter made up of heavier bosons. These findings open up the possibility of a richer phenomenology in scalar field dark matter models and could further inform efforts to place observational limits on their parameters.

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arXiv2023

Unified description of corpuscular and fuzzy bosonic dark matter

We derive from first principles equations for bosonic, non-relativistic and self-interacting dark matter which can include both a condensed, low momentum "fuzzy" component and one with higher momenta that may be approximated as a collection of particles. The resulting coupled equations consist of a modified Gross-Pitaevskii equation describing the condensate and a kinetic equation describing the higher momentum modes, the "particles", along with the Poisson equation for the gravitational potential sourced by the density of both components. Our derivation utilizes the Schwinger-Keldysh path integral formalism and applies a semi-classical approximation which can also accommodate collisional terms amongst the particles and between the particles and the condensate to second order in the self-coupling strength. The equations can therefore describe both CDM and Fuzzy Dark Matter in a unified way, allowing for the coexistence of both phases and the inclusion of quartic self-interactions.

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arXiv2023

Universality of Bose-Einstein Condensation and Quenched Formation Dynamics

The emergence of macroscopic coherence in a many-body quantum system is a ubiquitous phenomenon across different physical systems and scales. This Chapter reviews key concepts characterizing such systems (correlation functions, condensation, quasi-condensation) and applies them to the study of emerging non-equilibrium features in the dynamical path towards such a highly-coherent state: particular emphasis is placed on emerging universal features in the dynamics of conservative and open quantum systems, their equilibrium or non-equilibrium nature, and the extent that these can be observed in current experiments with quantum gases. Characteristic examples include symmetry-breaking in the Kibble-Zurek mechanism, coarsening and phase-ordering kinetics, and universal spatiotemporal scalings around non-thermal fixed points and in the context of the Kardar- Parisi-Zhang equation; the Chapter concludes with a brief review of the potential relevance of some of these concepts in modelling the large-scale distribution of dark matter in the universe.

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arXiv2023

Coherent and incoherent structures in fuzzy dark matter halos

We show that fuzzy dark matter halos exhibit spatial differentiation in the degree of coherence of the field configuration, ranging from completely coherent in the central solitonic core to incoherent outside it, with a crossover region in between the two phases. The solitonic core is indeed a pure condensate which overlaps almost perfectly with the Penrose-Onsager mode corresponding to the largest eigenvalue of the one-particle density matrix. The virialized outer halo surrounding the core exhibits no clear coherence as a whole upon radial and temporal averaging. However, when viewed locally and for short times, it can be described as a collection of quasi-condensate lumps exhibiting locally suppressed fluctuations which can be identified with the structures commonly referred to as granules. Phase coherence across the entire halo is inhibited by a dynamically evolving tangled web of vortices separating the localized quasi-condensate regions. Moreover, the dimensionless phase-space density in the outer halo drops significantly below its value at the core. We further examine the dynamics of this spatial structure and find that the oscillations of the core can be accurately described by two time-dependent parameters respectively characterizing the size of the core, $r_c(t)$, and the crossover region, $r_t(t)$. For the halos produced in our merger simulations this feature is reflected in the (anti-)correlated oscillation of the peak value of the field configuration's power-spectrum. The turbulent vortex tangle of the virialized halo appears to reach a quasi-equilibrium state over probed timescales, with the incompressible component of the kinetic energy exhibiting a characteristic $k^{-3}$ tail in its spectrum, indicative of a $ρ\sim r^2$ density profile around the quantum vortex cores. Comparison of the peak wavenumbers in the corresponding power-spectra shows that the inter-vortex...

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arXiv2020

Kibble-Zurek Dynamics in a Trapped Ultracold Bose Gas

The dynamical evolution of an inhomogeneous ultracold atomic gas quenched at different controllable rates through the Bose-Einstein condensation phase transition is studied numerically in the premise of a recent experiment in an anisotropic harmonic trap. Our findings based on the stochastic (projected) Gross-Pitaevskii equation are shown to be consistent at early times with the predictions of the homogeneous Kibble-Zurek mechanism. This is demonstrated by collapsing the early dynamical evolution of densities, spectral functions and correlation lengths for different quench rates, based on an appropriate characterization of the distance to criticality felt by the quenched system. The subsequent long-time evolution, beyond the identified dynamical critical region, is also investigated by looking at the behaviour of the density wavefront evolution and the corresponding phase ordering dynamics.

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arXiv2020

Periodic quenches across the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless phase transition

The quenched dynamics of an ultracold homogeneous atomic two-dimensional Bose gas subjected to periodic quenches across the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) phase transition are discussed. Specifically, we address the effect of periodic cycling of the effective atomic interaction strength between a thermal disordered state above, and a highly ordered state below the critical BKT interaction strength, by means of numerical simulations of the stochastic projected Gross-Pitaevskii equation. Probing the emerging dynamics as a function of the frequency of sinusoidal driving from low to high frequencies reveals diverse dynamical features, including phase-lagged quasi adiabatic reversible condensate formation, resonant excitation consistent with an intrinsic system relaxation timescale, and gradual establishment of dynamically-recurring or time-averaged non-equilibrium states with enhanced coherence which are neither condensed, nor thermal. Our study paves the way for experimental observation of such driven non-equilibrium ultracold superfluid states.

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arXiv2018

Probing quasi-integrability of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation in a harmonic-oscillator potential

Previous simulations of the one-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation (GPE) with repulsive nonlinearity and a harmonic-oscillator trapping potential hint towards the emergence of quasi-integrable dynamics -- in the sense of quasi-periodic evolution of a moving dark soliton without any signs of ergodicity -- although this model does not belong to the list of integrable equations. To investigate this problem, we replace the full GPE by a suitably truncated expansion over harmonic-oscillator eigenmodes (the Galerkin approximation), which accurately reproduces the full dynamics, and then analyze the system's dynamical spectrum. The analysis enables us to interpret the observed quasi-integrability as the fact that the finite-mode dynamics always produces a quasi-discrete power spectrum, with no visible continuous component, the presence of the latter being a necessary manifestation of ergodicity. This conclusion remains true when a strong random-field component is added to the initial conditions. On the other hand, the same analysis for the GPE in an infinitely deep potential box leads to a clearly continuous power spectrum, typical for ergodic dynamics.

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arXiv2018

Time-of-flight expansion of binary Bose-Einstein condensates at finite temperature

Ultracold quantum gases provide a unique setting for studying and understanding the properties of interacting quantum systems. Here, we investigate a multi-component system of $^{87}$Rb--$^{39}$K Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) with tunable interactions both theoretically and experimentally. Such multi-component systems can be characterized by their miscibility, where miscible components lead to a mixed ground state and immiscible components form a phase-separated state. Here we perform the first full simulation of the dynamical expansion of this system including both BECs and thermal clouds, which allows for a detailed comparison with experimental results. In particular we show that striking features emerge in time-of-flight for BECs with strong interspecies repulsion, even for systems which were separated in situ by a large gravitational sag. An analysis of the center of mass positions of the BECs after expansion yields qualitative agreement with the homogeneous criterion for phase-separation, but reveals no clear transition point between the mixed and the separated phases. Instead one can identify a transition region, for which the presence of a gravitational sag is found to be advantageous. Moreover we analyze the situation where only one component is condensed and show that the density distribution of the thermal component also show some distinct features. Our work sheds new light on the analysis of multi-component systems after time-of-flight and will guide future experiments on the detection of miscibility in these systems.

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arXiv2016

Non-equilibrium Atomic Condensates and Mixtures: Collective Modes, Condensate Growth and Thermalization

The non-equilibrium dynamics of trapped ultracold atomic gases, or mixtures thereof, is an extremely rich subject. Despite 20 years of studies, and remarkable progress mainly on the experimental front, numerous open question remain, related to the growth, relaxation and thermalisation of such systems, and there is still no universally-accepted theory for their theoretical description. In this paper we discuss one of the state-of-the-art kinetic approaches, which gives an intuitive picture of the physical processes happening at the microscopic scale, being broadly applicable both below and above the critical region (but not within the critical region itself). Specifically, the Zaremba-Nikuni-Griffin (ZNG) scheme provides a self-consistent description of the coupling between the condensate and the thermal atoms, including the collisions between these two subsystems. It has been successfully tested against experiments in various settings, including collective modes (e.g. monopole, dipole and quadrupole modes), topological excitations (solitons and vortices) and surface evaporative cooling. Here, we show that it can capture two important aspects of non- equilibrium dynamics for both single-component and two-component BECs: the Kohn mode (the undamped dipole oscillation independent of interactions and temperature) and (re)thermalization leading to condensate growth following sudden evaporation. Our simulations, performed in a spherically-symmetric trap reveal (i) an interesting two-stage dynamics and the emergence of a prominent monopole mode in the evaporative cooling of a single component Bose gas, and (ii) the long thermalization time associated with the sympathetic cooling of a realistic two-component mixture. Related open questions arise about the mechanisms and the nature of thermalization in such systems, where further controlled experiments are needed for benchmarking.

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arXiv2016

Phase Separation and Dynamics of two-component Bose-Einstein condensates

The miscibility of two interacting quantum systems is an important testing ground for the understanding of complex quantum systems. Two-component Bose-Einstein condensates enable the investigation of this scenario in a particularly well controlled setting. In a homogeneous system, the transition between mixed and separated phases is fully characterised by a `miscibility parameter', based on the ratio of intra- to inter-species interaction strengths. Here we show, however, that this parameter is no longer the optimal one for trapped gases, for which the location of the phase boundary depends critically on atom numbers. We demonstrate how monitoring of damping rates and frequencies of dipole oscillations enables the experimental mapping of the phase diagram by numerical implementation of a fully self-consistent finite-temperature kinetic theory for binary condensates. The change in damping rate is explained in terms of surface oscillation in the immiscible regime, and counterflow instability in the miscible regime, with collisions becoming only important in the long time evolution.

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arXiv2016

Formation of Bose-Einstein condensates

The problem of understanding how a coherent, macroscopic Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) emerges from the cooling of a thermal Bose gas has attracted significant theoretical and experimental interest over several decades. The pioneering achievement of BEC in weakly-interacting dilute atomic gases in 1995 was followed by a number of experimental studies examining the growth of the BEC number, as well as the development of its coherence. More recently there has been interest in connecting such experiments to universal aspects of nonequilibrium phase transitions, in terms of both static and dynamical critical exponents. Here, the spontaneous formation of topological structures such as vortices and solitons in quenched cold-atom experiments has enabled the verification of the Kibble-Zurek mechanism predicting the density of topological defects in continuous phase transitions, first proposed in the context of the evolution of the early universe. This chapter reviews progress in the understanding of BEC formation, and discusses open questions and future research directions in the dynamics of phase transitions in quantum gases.

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arXiv2012

The Stochastic Gross-Pitaevskii Methodology

We review the stochastic Gross-Pitaevskii approach for non-equilibrium finite temperature Bose gases, focussing on the formulation of Stoof; this method provides a unified description of condensed and thermal atoms, and can thus describe the physics of the critical fluctuation regime. We discuss simplifications of the full theory, which facilitate straightforward numerical implementation, and how the results of such stochastic simulations can be interpreted, including the procedure for extracting phase-coherent (`condensate') and density-coherent (`quasi-condensate') fractions. The power of this methodology is demonstrated by successful ab initio modelling of several recent atom chip experiments, with the important information contained in each individual realisation highlighted by analysing dark soliton decay within a phase-fluctuating condensate.

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