Nematic and Magnetic Behavior of Spin-1 Bose-Einstein Condensates

普通观众摘要：大多数波--从在水中传播的波，到用于通信的无线电波--当传播到足够长的距离时，自然会扩散或消散。孤子是一种特殊类型的波，它不经历色散，因此在传播时保持其形状。孤子自然地存在于世界上，从水波到生物系统，甚至在早期的宇宙中就已经存在。如果介质是光纤，则产生的波是光孤子，其非扩展能力与发送远距离光脉冲进行通信具有技术相关性。在原子玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚等量子系统中产生的孤子具有独特的方面，包括用于量子通信和计算的潜力。这个项目将发现如何以谨慎和可控的方式在玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体中制造这样的量子孤子，以便回答诸如孤子何时形成束缚对以及大量相互作用的孤子的集体行为等问题。通过回答这些问题，我们可能会更接近于找到孤子的实际应用。除了进行这项实验室研究外，PI还将通过当地高中教师的暑期实习机会接触亚特兰大K-12社区。将继续强调研究生的教学和培训，以及本科生从事研究的机会。技术观众摘要：将进行在钠旋量玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体中创建和控制磁孤子及相关结构的实验。这些独特的孤子只存在于反铁磁相互作用中，2016年首次从理论上预测了它们的存在，最近在实验上观察到了它们。它们是存在于具有多个分量的量子流体中的一类矢量孤子，它们位于非线性薛定谔方程的非马纳科夫极限。玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体具有丰富的内部超精细能级或自旋成分，是探索这些孤立波的独特平台。数字微镜器件将被用来仔细地控制孤子的放置和动态演化，目的是观察孤子束缚态和其他有序结构。这项研究将原子物理学与非线性科学、光学和凝聚态物质联系起来。在上一个资助周期中建立的科学合作将继续并得到加强。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

General audience abstract: Most waves—from those traveling in water, to radio waves used for communication—naturally spread out, or disperse, when traveling over a long enough distance. Solitons are a special category of wave that does not experience dispersion, and which therefore maintain its shape while propagating. Solitons occur naturally in the world, from water waves to biological systems, and have even existed in the early universe. If the medium is an optical fiber, then the resulting waves are optical solitons, whose nonspreading ability has technological relevance for sending optical pulses over long distances for communication. The solitons created in quantum systems such as atomic Bose-Einstein condensates have unique aspects, including the potential for quantum communication and computation. This project will discover how to make such quantum solitons in Bose-Einstein condensates in a careful and controlled manner in order to answer questions such as when do solitons form bound pairs and what is the collective behavior of large numbers of solitons that interact with one another. By answering such questions, we may come closer to finding practical applications for solitons. In addition to conducting this laboratory research, the PI will reach out to the Atlanta K-12 community through summer internships for local high school teachers. Graduate student teaching and training will continue to be emphasized, as will exposure of undergraduates to research. Technical audience abstract: Experiments will be performed that create and control magnetic solitons and related structures in sodium spinor Bose-Einstein condensates. These unique solitons, which exist only for antiferromagnetic interactions, were first predicted theoretically in 2016, and were recently observed experimentally. They are a type of vector soliton existing in a quantum fluid with multiple components in the non-Manakov limit of the nonlinear Schrodinger equation. Bose-Einstein condensates, with a rich panoply of internal hyperfine levels, or spin components, are a unique platform for exploring these solitary waves. Digital micromirror devices will be used to carefully control the soliton placement and dynamical evolution, with the goal of observing soliton bound states and other ordered structures. The research connects atomic physics to nonlinear science, optics and condensed matter. Scientific collaborations established in the previous funding cycle will be continued and strengthened.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.