Experimental Observation of Oscillating and Interacting Matter Wave Dark Solitons

A. Weller, J. P. Ronzheimer, C. Gross, J. Esteve, M. K. Oberthaler, D. J. Frantzeskakis, G. Theocharis, and P. G. Kevrekidis
Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 130401 – Published 22 September 2008

Abstract

We report on the generation, subsequent oscillation and interaction of a pair of matter-wave dark solitons. These are created by releasing a Bose-Einstein condensate from a double well potential into a harmonic trap in the crossover regime between one dimension and three dimensions. Multiple oscillations and collisions of the solitons are observed, in quantitative agreement with simulations of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. An effective particle picture is developed and confirms that the deviation of the observed oscillation frequencies from the asymptotic prediction νz/2, where νz is the longitudinal trapping frequency, results from the dimensionality of the system and the soliton interactions.

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  • Received 7 April 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.130401

©2008 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

A. Weller, J. P. Ronzheimer, C. Gross, J. Esteve, and M. K. Oberthaler

  • Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, University of Heidelberg, INF 227, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany

D. J. Frantzeskakis

  • Department of Physics, University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Zografos, Athens 157 84, Greece

G. Theocharis and P. G. Kevrekidis

  • Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Massachusetts 01003-4515, USA

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Issue

Vol. 101, Iss. 13 — 26 September 2008

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