Long-range interactions in a quantum gas mediated by diffracted light

Robb, G. R. M. and Walker, J. G. M. and Oppo, G.-L. and Ackemann, T. A. (2023) Long-range interactions in a quantum gas mediated by diffracted light. Physical Review Research, 5 (3). L032004. ISSN 2643-1564 (https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.5.L032004)

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Abstract

A Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) interacting with an optical field via a feedback mirror can be a realization of the quantum Hamiltonian Mean Field (HMF) model, a paradigmatic model of long-range interactions in quantum systems. We demonstrate that the self-structuring instability displayed by an initially uniform BEC can evolve as predicted by the quantum HMF model, displaying quasiperiodic “chevron” dynamics for strong driving. For weakly driven self-structuring, the BEC and optical field behave as a two-state quantum system, regularly oscillating between a spatially uniform state and a spatially periodic state. It also predicts the width of stable optomechanical droplets and the dependence of droplet width on optical pump intensity. The results presented suggest that optical diffraction-mediated interactions between atoms in a BEC may be a route to experimental realization of quantum HMF dynamics and a useful analog for studying quantum systems involving long-range interactions.

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