Quantum phase transition in one-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensates with attractive interactions

We model the dynamics of formation of multiple, long-lived, bright solitary waves in the collapse of Bose-Einstein condensates with attractive interactions as studied in the experiment of Cornish et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 96 (2006) 170401]. Using both mean-field and quantum field simulation techniques, we find that while a number of separated wave packets form as observed in the experiment, they do not have a repulsive \pi phase difference that has been previously inferred. We...

The Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of a dilute gas of bosons is well described by the three-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equation (3D GPE), that is a nonlinear Schrodinger equation. By imposing a transverse confinement the BEC can travel only in the cylindrical axial direction. We show that in this case the BEC with attractive interaction admits a 3D bright soliton solution which generalizes the text-book one, that is valid in the one-dimensional limit (1D GPE). Contrary to t...

We study the quantum ground state phases of the one-dimensional disordered Bose--Hubbard model with attractive interactions, realized by a chain of superconducting transmon qubits or cold atoms. We map the phase diagram using perturbation theory and exact diagonalization. Compared to the repulsive Bose--Hubbard model, the quantum ground state behavior is dramatically different. At strong disorder of the on-site energies, all the bosons localize into the vicinity of a single s...

We investigate the formation of self-bound quantum droplets in a one-dimensional binary mixture of bosonic atoms, applying the method of numerical diagonalization of the full Hamiltonian. The excitation spectra and ground-state pair correlations signal the formation of a few-boson droplet when crossing the region of critical inter-species interactions. The self-binding affects the rotational excitations, displaying a change in the energy dispersion from negative curvature, as...

We study the ground state of the attractive one-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model, and in particular the nature of the crossover between the weak interaction and strong interaction regimes for finite system sizes. Indicator properties like the gap between the ground and first excited energy levels, and the incremental ground-state wavefunction overlaps are used to locate different regimes. Using mean-field theory we predict that there are two distinct crossovers connected to spo...

We investigate a Bose-Einstein condensate in strong interaction with a single impurity particle. While this situation has received considerable interest in recent years, the regime of strong coupling remained inaccessible to most approaches due to an instability in Bogoliubov theory arising near the resonance. We present a nonlocal extension of Gross-Pitaevskii theory that is free of such divergences and does not require the use of the Born approximation in any of the interac...

We study the Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) in two or three dimensions with attractive interactions, described by $L^{2}$ constraint Gross-Pitaevskii energy functional. First, we give the precise description of the chemical potential of the condensate $\mu$ and the attractive interaction $a$. Next, for a class of degenerated trapping potential with non-isolated critical points, we obtain the existence and the local uniqueness of excited states by precise analysis of the conc...

A continuous configuration-interaction approach for condensates in a ring is introduced. In its simplest form this approach utilizes for attractive condensates the Gross-Pitaevskii symmetry-broken solution and arrives at a ground-state of correct symmetry. Furthermore, the energy found is {\it lower} than the Gross-Pitaevskii one and, with increasing number of particles and/or strength of inter-particle interaction, is even {\it lower} than that accessed by tractable diagonal...

We study the ground state phase diagram and the critical properties of interacting Bosons in one dimension by means of a quantum Monte Carlo technique. The direct experimental realization is a chain of Josephson junctions. For finite-range interactions we find a novel intermediate phase which shows neither solid order nor superfluidity. We determine the location of this phase and study the critical behaviour of the various transitions. For on-site interaction only, we map out...

We discuss localized ground states of the periodic Gross-Pitaevskii equation in the framework of a quantum linear Schr\"odinger equation with effective potential determined in self-consistent manner. We show that depending on the interaction among the atoms being attractive or repulsive, bound states of the linear self consistent problem are formed in the forbidden zones of the linear spectrum below or above the energy bands. These eigenstates are shown to be exact solitons o...