arXiv subjects

S. Mossman

Publications and source records attributed to S. Mossman.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Extreme (Rogue) Waves: From Theory to Experiments in Ultracold Gases and Beyond

In this Chapter, we review key theoretical and experimental advances in the study of extreme nonlinear wave events, called rogue waves (RWs), in both single-component attractively interacting and two-component repulsive mixtures of ultracold quantum gases. Starting from the exact rational solutions of the integrable focusing nonlinear Schroedinger model, the hierarchy of RW solutions is exemplified. These range from the Peregrine soliton (PS) and, related to it, the destabilization into a multi-peak cascade of PSs dubbed "Christmas-tree", to the Akhmediev breather, and Kuznetsov-Ma soliton as well as higher-order RWs. Emphasis is placed on their controllable dynamical emergence and characteristics in non-integrable quantum many-body systems described by Gross-Pitaevskii models and extensions thereof through different protocols such as modulational instability, gradient catastrophe, and dam-break flows. We further discuss how immiscible particle-imbalanced repulsive mixtures can be cast into effective attractive single-component environments capable of hosting RWs. Next, state-of-the-art experimental techniques are summarized within the ultracold realm that can be utilized to realize solitary waves, modulational instability, dispersive shock waves and RWs including the very recent first experimental observation of the PS, enabled through engineered effective focusing interactions and precise dynamical triggering. Observations of these extreme events in water waves, nonlinear optics and beyond are also outlined, highlighting their broader relevance and potential of emergence in disparate physical settings. Our exposition aims at showcasing ultracold atomic gases as versatile platforms for controllably generating and probing extreme nonlinear events, among others, in the quantum realm across integrable and non-integrable settings.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2025

Observation of vector rogue waves in repulsive three-component atomic mixtures

We report the experimental observation of vector extensions of Peregrine solitons in highly particle-imbalanced, pairwise immiscible three-component repulsive Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). The possibility of an effectively attractive character of the minority components is established by constructing a generalized reduction scheme for an imbalanced N-component setup with arbitrary interaction signs. These components may suffer intra- and inter-component modulation instability, which along with the presence of an attractive potential well induces the dynamical formation of highly reproducible vector rogue waves. Exploiting different Rb hyperfine states, it is possible to flexibly tune the effective interactions stimulating the realization of a plethora of vector rogue waves, including single and double Peregrine-like wave peaks. The experimental findings are in quantitative agreement with suitable three-dimensional mean-field simulations, while quasi-one-dimensional analysis of the non-polynomial Schr\"odinger model provides additional insights into the rogue wave characteristics.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2024

Nonlinear stage of modulational instability in repulsive two-component Bose-Einstein condensates

Modulational instability (MI) is a fundamental phenomenon in the study of nonlinear dynamics, spanning diverse areas such as shallow water waves, optics, and ultracold atomic gases. In particular, the nonlinear stage of MI has recently been a topic of intense exploration, and has been shown to manifest, in many cases, in the generation of dispersive shock waves (DSWs). In this work, we experimentally probe the MI dynamics in an immiscible two-component ultracold atomic gas with exclusively repulsive interactions, catalyzed by a hard-wall-like boundary produced by a repulsive optical barrier. We analytically describe the expansion rate of the DSWs in this system, generalized to arbitrary inter-component interaction strengths and species ratios. We observe excellent agreement among the analytical results, an effective 1D numerical model, full 3D numerical simulations, and experimental data. Additionally, we extend this scenario to the interaction between two counterpropagating DSWs, which leads to the production of Peregrine soliton structures. These results further demonstrate the versatility of atomic platforms towards the controlled realization of DSWs and rogue waves.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2023

Experimental realization of the Peregrine soliton in repulsive two-component Bose-Einstein condensates

We experimentally realize the Peregrine soliton in a highly particle-imbalanced two-component repulsive Bose-Einstein condensate in the immiscible regime. The effective focusing dynamics and resulting modulational instability of the minority component provide the opportunity to dynamically create a Peregrine soliton with the aid of an attractive potential well that seeds the initial dynamics. The Peregrine soliton formation is highly reproducible, and our experiments allow us to separately monitor the minority and majority components, and to compare with the single component dynamics in the absence or presence of the well with varying depths. We showcase the centrality of each of the ingredients leveraged herein. Numerical corroborations and a theoretical basis for our findings are provided through three-dimensional simulations emulating the experimental setting and via a one-dimensional analysis further exploring its evolution dynamics.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2022

Observation of dense collisional soliton complexes in a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate

Solitons are nonlinear solitary waves which maintain their shape over time and through collisions, occurring in a variety of nonlinear media from plasmas to optics. We present an experimental and theoretical study of hydrodynamic phenomena in a two-component atomic Bose-Einstein condensate where a soliton array emerges from the imprinting of a periodic spin pattern by a microwave pulse-based winding technique. We observe the ensuing dynamics which include shape deformations, the emergence of dark-antidark solitons, apparent spatial frequency tripling, and decay and revival of contrast related to soliton collisions. For the densest arrays, we obtain soliton complexes where solitons undergo continued collisions for long evolution times providing an avenue towards the investigation of soliton gases in atomic condensates.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2022

Lattice dynamics in an emergent Zeeman lattice

Periodic band structures are a hallmark phenomenon of condensed matter physics. While often imposed by external potentials, periodicity can also arise through the interplay of couplings that are not necessarily spatially periodic on their own. Here, we investigate dynamics in a lattice structure that emerges from the simultaneous application of Raman and radio frequency coupling to a dilute-gas Bose-Einstein condensate. We demonstrate a variety of techniques including Kapitza-Dirac scattering, Bloch oscillations, and lattice shaking with spin and momentum resolved measurements. This combined coupling scheme allows for exceptional tunability and control, enabling future investigations into unconventional band structures such as quasi-flat ground bands and those with semimetal-like band gaps.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2020

Non-exponential tunneling due to mean-field induced swallowtails

Typically, energy levels change without bifurcating in response to a change of a control parameter. Bifurcations can lead to loops or swallowtails in the energy spectrum. The simplest quantum Hamiltonian that supports swallowtails is a non-linear $2 \times 2$ Hamiltonian with non-zero off-diagonal elements and diagonal elements that depend on the population difference of the two states. This work implements such a Hamiltonian experimentally using ultracold atoms in a moving one-dimensional optical lattice. Self-trapping and non-exponential tunneling probabilities, a hallmark signature of band structures that support swallowtails, are observed. The good agreement between theory and experiment validates the optical lattice system as a powerful platform to study, e.g., Josephson junction physics and superfluidity in ring-shaped geometries.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2020

Rabi oscillations and Ramsey-type pulses in ultracold bosons: Role of interactions

Double-well systems loaded with one, two, or many quantum particles give rise to intriguing dynamics, ranging from Josephson oscillation to self-trapping. This work presents theoretical and experimental results for two distinct double-well systems, both created using dilute rubidium Bose-Einstein condensates with particular emphasis placed on the role of interaction in the systems. The first is realized by creating an effective two-level system through Raman coupling of hyperfine states. The second is an effective two-level system in momentum space generated through the coupling by an optical lattice. Even though the non-interacting systems can, for a wide parameter range, be described by the same model Hamiltonian, the dynamics for these two realizations differ in the presence of interactions. The difference is attributed to scattering diagrams that contribute in the lattice coupled system but vanish in the Raman coupled system. The internal dynamics of the Bose-Einstein condensates for both coupling scenarios is probed through a Ramsey-type interference pulse sequence, which constitutes a key building block of atom interferometers. These results have important implications in a variety of contexts including lattice calibration experiments and momentum space lattices used for quantum analog simulations.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗