Effect of Inter-Well Interactions on Non-Linear Beam Splitters for Matter-Wave Interferometers

We study the non-linear beam splitter in matter-wave interferometers using ultracold quantum gases in a double-well configuration in presence of non-local interactions inducing inter-well density-density coupling, as they can be realized, e.g., with dipolar gases. We explore this effect after considering different input states, in the form of either coherent, or Twin-Fock, or NOON states. We first review the non-interacting limit and the case in which only the local interaction is present, including the study of sensitivity near the self-trapping threshold. Then, we consider the two-mode model in the presence of inter-well interactions and consider the scaling of the sensitivity as a function of the non-local coupling strength. Our analysis clearly shows that non-local interactions can compensate the degradation of the sensitivity induced by local interactions, so that they may be used to restore optimal sensitivity.

Normalized solutions for nonlinear Schrödinger systems

We consider the existence of normalized solutions in H1(ℝN) × H1(ℝN) for systems of nonlinear Schr¨odinger equations, which appear in models for binary mixtures of ultracold quantum gases. Making a solitary wave ansatz, one is led to coupled systems of elliptic equations of the formand we are looking for solutions satisfyingwhere a1> 0 and a2> 0 are prescribed. In the system, λ1 and λ2 are unknown and will appear as Lagrange multipliers. We treat the case of homogeneous nonlinearities, i.e. , with positive constants β, μi, pi, ri. The exponents are Sobolev subcritical but may be L2-supercritical. Our main result deals with the case in which in dimensions 2 ≤ N ≤ 4. We also consider the cases in which all of these numbers are less than 2 + 4/N or all are bigger than 2 + 4/N.

Quantum phase slips: from condensed matter to ultracold quantum gases

Quantum phase slips (QPS) are the primary excitations in one-dimensional superfluids and superconductors at low temperatures. They have been well characterized in most condensed-matter systems, and signatures of their existence have been recently observed in superfluids based on quantum gases too. In this review, we briefly summarize the main results obtained on the investigation of phase slips from superconductors to quantum gases. In particular, we focus our attention on recent experimental results of the dissipation in one-dimensional Bose superfluids flowing along a shallow periodic potential, which show signatures of QPS. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Breakdown of ergodicity in quantum systems: from solids to synthetic matter’.