Atomic diffraction in counter-propagating Gaussian pulses of laser light

We present an analysis of atomic diffraction due to the interaction of an atomic beam with a pair of Gaussian light pulses. We derive a simple analytical expression for the populations in different diffraction orders. The validity of the obtained solution extends beyond the Raman-Nath regime, where the kinetic energy associated with different diffraction peaks is neglected, into the so-called channeling regime where accurate analytical expressions have not previously been available for the diffraction. Comparison with experimental results and exact numerical solutions demonstrate the validity of our analytical formula.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Coherence vortices in one spatial dimension

Coherence vortices are screw-type topological defects in the phase of Glauber's two-point degree of quantum coherence, associated with pairs of spatial points at which an ensemble-averaged stochastic quantum field is uncorrelated. Coherence vortices may be present in systems whose dimensionality is too low to support spatial vortices. We exhibit lattices of such quantum-coherence phase defects for a one-dimensional model quantum system. We discuss the physical meaning of coherence vortices and propose how they may be realized experimentally.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Spin textures in condensates with large dipole moments

We have solved numerically the ground states of a Bose-Einstein condensate in the presence of dipolar interparticle forces using a semiclassical approach. Our motivation is to model, in particular, the spontaneous spin textures emerging in quantum gases with large dipole moments, such as 52Cr or Dy condensates, or ultracold gases consisting of polar molecules. For a pancake-shaped harmonic (optical) potential, we present the ground state phase diagram spanned by the strength of the nonlinear coupling and dipolar interactions. In an elongated harmonic potential, we observe a novel helical spin texture. The textures calculated according to the semiclassical model in the absence of external polarizing fields are predominantly analogous to previously reported results for a ferromagnetic F = 1 spinor Bose-Einstein condensate, suggesting that the spin textures arising from the dipolar forces are largely independent of the value of the quantum number F or the origin of the dipolar interactions.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

Motion of vortices in inhomogeneous Bose-Einstein condensates

We derive a general and exact equation of motion for a quantised vortex in an inhomogeneous two-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate. This equation expresses the velocity of a vortex as a sum of local ambient density and phase gradients in the vicinity of the vortex. We perform Gross-Pitaevskii simulations of single vortex dynamics in both harmonic and hard-walled disk-shaped traps, and find excellent agreement in both cases with our analytical prediction. The simulations reveal that, in a harmonic trap, the main contribution to the vortex velocity is an induced ambient phase gradient, a finding that contradicts the commonly quoted result that the local density gradient is the only relevant effect in this scenario. We use our analytical vortex velocity formula to derive a point-vortex model that accounts for both density and phase contributions to the vortex velocity, suitable for use in inhomogeneous condensates. Although good agreement is obtained between Gross-Pitaevskii and point-vortex simulations for specific few-vortex configurations, the effects of nonuniform condensate density are in general highly nontrivial, and are thus difficult to efficiently and accurately model using a simplified point-vortex description.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure