Abstract
We consider a quasi-two-dimensional atomic Bose-Einstein condensate interacting with a near-resonant laser field that is backreflected onto the condensate by a planar mirror. We show that this single-mirror optical feedback leads to an unusual type of effective interaction between the ultracold atoms giving rise to a rich spectrum of ground states. In particular, we find that it can cause the spontaneous contraction of the quasi-two-dimensional condensate to form a self-bound one-dimensional chain of mesoscopic quantum droplets, and demonstrate that the observation of this exotic effect is within reach of current experiments.
- Received 11 May 2018
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.073604
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