Density Modulations of Bose-Einstein Condensates via Laser-Induced Interactions

We show that the dipole-dipole interatomic forces induced by an off-resonant running laser beam can lead to a self-bound pencil-shaped Bose condensate, even if the laser beam is a plane wave. For an appropriate laser intensity the ground state has a quasi-one-dimensional density modulation—a Bose-Einstein “supersolid.”