arXiv subjects

P. B. Blakie

Publications and source records attributed to P. B. Blakie.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

Solving the spin-2 Gross-Pitaevskii equation using exact nonlinear dynamics and symplectic composition

We develop numerical methods for solving the spin-2 Gross-Pitaevskii equation. The basis of our work is a two-way splitting of this evolution equation that leads to two exactly solvable subsystems. Utilizing second-order and fourth-order composition schemes we realize two fully symplectic integration algorithms, the first such algorithms for evolving spin-2 condensates. We demonstrate the accuracy of these algorithms against other methods on application to an exact continuous wave solution that we derive.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2016

Dynamics of polar-core spin vortices in a ferromagnetic spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate

A ferromagnetic spin-1 condensate supports polar-core spin vortices (PCVs) in the easy-plane phase. We derive a model for the dynamics of these PCVs using a variational Lagrangian approach. The PCVs behave as massive charged particles interacting under the two dimensional Coulomb interaction, with the mass arising from interaction effects within the vortex core. We compare this model to numerical simulations of the spin-1 Gross-Pitaevskii equations and find semi-quantitative agreement. In addition, the numerical results suggest that the PCV core couples to spin waves, and this affects the PCV dynamics even far from the core. We identify areas of further research that could extend the model of PCV dynamics presented here.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

Different growth rates for spin and superfluid order in a quenched spinor condensate

In this paper we study the coarsening dynamics of a spinor condensate quenched into an easy-axis ferromagnetic phase by a sudden change in the quadratic Zeeman energy. We show that applying a spin rotation prior to changing the Zeeman energy accelerates the development of local order and reduces heating. We examine the longitudinal spin ordering and the superfluid ordering of the system and show that the respective order parameter correlation functions exhibit dynamic scaling in the late time dynamics. Our results also demonstrate that these two types of order grow at different rates, i.e.~with different dynamic critical exponents. The spin domain area distribution is calculated and is shown to have power law scaling behavior expected from percolation theory.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

Ground-state phase diagram of a dipolar condensate with quantum fluctuations

We consider the ground state properties of a trapped dipolar condensate under the influence of quantum fluctuations. We show that this system can undergo a phase transition from a low density condensate state to a high density droplet state, which is stabilized by quantum fluctuations. The energetically favored state depends on the geometry of the confining potential, the number of atoms and the two-body interactions. We develop a simple variational ansatz and validate it against full numerical solutions. We produce a phase diagram for the system and present results relevant to current experiments with dysprosium and erbium condensates.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

Self-bound dipolar droplet: a localized matter-wave in free space

We demonstrate that a dipolar condensate can be prepared into a three-dimensional wavepacket that remains localized when released in free-space. Such self-bound states arise from the interplay of the two-body interactions and quantum fluctuations. We develop a phase diagram for the parameter regimes where these self-bound states are stable, examine their properties, and demonstrate how they can be produced in current experiments.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

Coarsening and thermalisation properties of a quenched ferromagnetic spin-1 condensate

We examine the dynamics of a quasi-two-dimensional spin-1 condensate in which the quadratic Zeeman energy q is suddenly quenched to a value where the system has a ferromagnetic ground state. There are two distinct types of ferromagnetic phases, i.e. a range of q values where the magnetization prefers to be in the direction of the external field (easy-axis), and a range of q values where it prefers to be transverse to the field (easy-plane). We study the quench dynamics for a variety of q values and show that there is a single dynamical critical exponent to characterize the scale invariant domain growth for each ferromagnetic phase. For both quenches we give simple analytic models that capture the essential scale invariant dynamics, and correctly predict the exponents. Because the order parameter for each phase is different, the natures of the domains and the relevant topological defects in each type of coarsening is also different. To explore these differences we characterize the fractal dimension of the domain walls, and the relationship of polar-core spin vortices to the domains in the easy-plane phase. Finally, we consider how the energy liberated from the quench thermalizes in the easy-axis quench. We show that local equilibrium is established in the spin waves on moderate time scales, but continues to evolve as the domains anneal.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

Properties of a dipolar condensate with three-body interactions

We obtain the phase diagram for a harmonically trapped dilute dipolar condensate with a short ranged conservative three-body interaction. We show that this system supports two distinct fluid states: a usual condensate state and a self-cohering droplet state. We develop a simple model to quantify the energetics of these states, which we verify with full numerical calculations. Based on our simple model we develop a phase diagram showing that there is a first order phase transition between the states. Using dynamical simulations we explore the phase transition dynamics, revealing that the droplet crystal observed in previous work is an excited state that arises from heating as the system crosses the phase transition. Utilising our phase diagram we show it is feasible to produce a single droplet by dynamically adjusting the confining potential.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

Spin-dependent Bragg spectroscopy of a spinor Bose gas

We develop a general theory of spin-dependent Bragg spectroscopy for spinor Bose-Einstein condensates. This spectroscopy involves using a density and spin-coupled optical probe to excite the system. We show that within the linear response regime the momentum or energy transferred by the probe is determined by a set of density and spin-density dynamic structure factors. We derive a set of $f$-sum rules that provide rigorous constraints for the first energy moments of these structure factors. As an application we compute the dynamic structure factors for cases within all four distinct phases of a spin-1 condensate using Bogoliubov theory. Our results demonstrate that spin-dependent Bragg spectroscopy can be used to selectively investigate the various phonon and magnon excitation branches and will be a useful tool for advancing our understanding of spinor condensates.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

Efficient and accurate methods for solving the time-dependent spin-1 Gross-Pitaevskii equation

We develop a numerical method for solving the spin-1 Gross-Pitaevskii equation. The basis of our work is a two-way splitting of the spin-1 evolution equation that leads to two exactly solvable flows. We use this to implement a second-order and a fourth-order symplectic integration method. These are the first fully symplectic methods for evolving spin-1 condensates. We develop two non-trivial numerical tests to compare our methods against two other approaches.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2016

Universal coarsening dynamics of a quenched ferromagnetic spin-1 condensate

We demonstrate that a quasi-two-dimensional spin-1 condensate quenched to a ferromagnetic phase undergoes universal coarsening in its late time dynamics. The quench can be implemented by a sudden change in the applied magnetic field and, depending on the final value, the ferromagnetic phase has easy-axis (Ising) or easy-plane (XY) symmetry, with different dynamical critical exponents. Our results for the easy-plane phase reveal a fractal domain structure and the crucial role of polar-core spin vortices in the coarsening dynamics.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2015

Crystallisation of a dilute atomic dipolar condensate

We present a theory that explains the experimentally observed crystallisation of a dilute dysprosium condensate into a lattice of droplets. The key ingredient of our theory is a conservative three-body interaction which stabilises the droplets against collapse to high density spikes. Our theory reproduces the experimental observations, and provides insight into the manybody properties of this new phase of matter. Notably, we show that it is unlikely that a supersolid was obtained in experiments, however our results suggest a strategy to realize this phase.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2015

A general theory of flattened dipolar condensates

We develop theory for a flattened dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) produced by harmonic confinement along one direction. The role of both short-ranged contact interactions and long-ranged dipole-dipole interactions (DDIs) is considered, and the dipoles are allowed to be polarised along an arbitrary direction. We discuss the symmetry properties of the condensate and the part of the excitation spectrum determining stability, and introduce two effective interaction parameters that allow us to provide a general description of the condensate properties, rotons, and stability. We diagonalize the full theory to obtain benchmark results for the condensate and quasiparticle excitations, and characterize the exact mean field stability of the system. We provide a unified formulation for a number of approximate schemes to describe the condensate and quasiparticles, including the standard quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) approximation, two kinds of variational ansatz, and a Thomas-Fermi (TF) approximation. Some of these schemes have been widely used in the literature despite not being substantiated against the exact theory. We provide this validation and establish the regimes where the various theories perform well.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2015

Stability of a trapped dipolar quantum gas

We calculate the stability diagram for a trapped normal Fermi or Bose gas with dipole-dipole interactions. Our study characterizes the roles of trap geometry and temperature on the stability using Hartree-Fock theory. We find that exchange appreciably reduces stability, and that, for bosons, the double instability feature in oblate trapping geometries predicted previously is still predicted by the Hartree-Fock theory. Our results are relevant to current experiments with polar molecules and will be useful in developing strategies to obtain a polar molecule Bose-Einstein condensate or degenerate Fermi gas.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2015

Number Fluctuations of a Dipolar Condensate: Anisotropy and Slow Approach to the Thermodynamic Regime

We present a theory for the number fluctuations of a quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate measured with finite resolution cells. We show that when the dipoles are tilted to have a component parallel to the plane of the trap, the number fluctuations become anisotropic, i.e. depend on the in-plane orientation of the measurement cell. We develop analytic results for the quantum and thermal fluctuations applicable to the cell sizes accessible in experiments. We show that as cell size is increased the thermodynamic fluctuation result is approached much more slowly than in condensates with short range interactions, so experiments would not require high numerical aperture imaging to observe the predicted effect.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Fluctuations of spinor Bose-Einstein condensates

We develop theory for fluctuations in atom number and spin within finite-sized cells of a spinor Bose-Einstein condensate. This theory provides a model of measurements that can be performed in current experiments using finite resolution in situ imaging. We develop analytic results for quantum and thermodynamic limits of the fluctuations and apply our theory to the four equilibrium phases of a spin-1 condensate. We then validate these limits and examine the behaviour over a wide parameter regime using numerical calculations specialised to the case of a spinor condensate confined to be quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D).

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Thermally activated local collapse of a flattened dipolar condensate

We consider the metastable dynamics of a flattened dipolar condensate. We develop an analytic model that quantifies the energy barrier to the system undergoing local collapse to form a density spike. We also develop a stochastic Gross-Pitaevskii equation (SGPE) theory for a flatted dipolar condensate, which we use to perform finite temperature simulations verifying the local collapse scenario. We predict that local collapses play a significant role in the regime where rotons are predicted to exist, and will be an important consideration for experiments looking to detect these excitations.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Static structure factors for a spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate

We consider the total density and spin density fluctuations of a uniform spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate within the Bogoliubov formalism. We present results for the total density and spin density static structure factors for all four magnetic phases. A key result of our work is a set of analytic predictions for the structure factors in the large and small momentum limits. These results will be useful in current experiments aiming to develop a better understanding of the excitations and fluctuations of spinor condensates.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2014

Finite resolution fluctuation measurements of a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate

We consider the fluctuations in atom number that occur within finite-sized measurement cells in a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). This approximates the fluctuation measurements made in current experiments with finite resolution in situ imaging. A numerical scheme is developed to calculate these fluctuations using the quasiparticle modes of a cylindrically symmetric three-dimensionally trapped condensate with either contact or dipole-dipole interactions (DDIs). We use this scheme to study the properties of a pancake shaped condensate using cylindrical cells. The extension of the theory to washer shaped cells with azimuthal weighting is made and used to discriminate between the low energy roton modes in a dipolar condensate according to their pro- jection of angular momentum. Our results are based on the Bogoliubov approach valid for zero and small finite temperatures.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗