D. A. W. Hutchinson

Quantum mechanical potentials related to the prime numbers and Riemann zeros.

Prime numbers are the building blocks of our arithmetic; however, their distribution still poses fundamental questions. Riemann showed that the distribution of primes could be given explicitly if one knew the distribution of the nontrivial zeros of the Riemann zeta(s) function. According to the Hilbert-Pólya conjecture, there exists a Hermitian operator of which the eigenvalues coincide with the real parts of the nontrivial zeros of zeta(s) . This idea has encouraged physicists to examine the properties of such possible operators, and they have found interesting connections between the distribution of zeros and the distribution of energy eigenvalues of quantum systems. We apply the Marchenko approach to construct potentials with energy eigenvalues equal to the prime numbers and to the zeros of the zeta(s) function. We demonstrate the multifractal nature of these potentials by measuring the Rényi dimension of their graphs. Our results offer hope for further analytical progress.

Finite-temperature theory of the trapped two-dimensional Bose gas

We present a Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) theoretical treatment of the two-dimensional trapped Bose gas and indicate how semiclassical approximations to this and other formalisms have lead to confusion. We numerically obtain results for the quantum-mechanical HFB theory within the Popov approximation and show that the presence of the trap stabilizes the condensate against long wavelength fluctuations. These results are used to show where phase fluctuations lead to the formation of a quasicondensate.

Transition from the Bose–Einstein condensate to the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless phase

We obtain a phase diagram for a trapped two-dimensional ultracold Bose gas. We find a critical temperature above which the free energy of a state with a pair of vortices of opposite circulation is lower than that for a vortex-free Bose–Einstein condensed ground state. We identify three distinct phases which are, in order of increasing temperature, a phase coherent Bose–Einstein condensate, a vortex pair plasma with a fluctuating condensate phase, and a thermal Bose gas. The existence of the vortex pair phase could be verified using current experimental set-ups.

Quantitative study of two- and three-dimensional strong localization of matter waves by atomic scatterers

We study the strong localization of atomic matter waves in a disordered potential created by atoms pinned at the nodes of a lattice, for both three-dimensional (3D) and two-dimensional (2D) systems. The localization length of the matter wave, the density of localized states, and the occurrence of energy mobility edges (for the 3D system), are numerically investigated as a function of the effective scattering length between the atomic matter wave and the pinned atoms. Both positive and negative matter wave energies are explored. Interesting features of the density of states are discovered at negative energies, where maxima in the density of bound states for the system can be interpreted in terms of bound states of a matter wave atom with a few pinned atomic scatterers. In 3D we found evidence of up to three mobility edges, one at positive energies, and two at negative energies, the latter corresponding to transitions between extended and localized bound states. In 2D, no mobility edge is found, and a rapid exponential-like increase of the localization length is observed at high energy.

Quantifying finite-temperature effects in atom-chip interferometry of Bose-Einstein condensates

We quantify the effect of phase fluctuations on atom chip interferometry of Bose-Einstein condensates. At very low temperatures, we observe small phase fluctuations, created by mean-field depletion, and a resonant production of vortices when the two clouds are initially in anti-phase. At higher temperatures, we show that the thermal occupation of Bogoliubov modes makes vortex production vary smoothly with the initial relative phase difference between the two atom clouds. We also propose a technique to observe vortex formation directly by creating a weak link between the two clouds. The position and direction of circulation of the vortices is subsequently revealed by kinks in the interference fringes produced when the two clouds expand into one another. This procedure may be exploited for precise force measurement or motion detection.

Disruption of reflecting Bose-Einstein condensates due to interatomic interactions and quantum noise

We perform fully three-dimensional simulations, using the truncated Wigner method, to investigate the reflection of Bose-Einstein condensates from abrupt potential barriers. We show that the interatomic interactions can disrupt the internal structure of a cigar-shaped cloud with a high atom density at low approach velocities, damping the center-of-mass motion and generating vortices. Furthermore, by incorporating quantum noise we show that scattering halos form at high approach velocities, causing an associated condensate depletion. We compare our results to recent experimental observations.

Many-body T-matrix of a two-dimensional Bose–Einstein condensate within the Hartree–Fock–Bogoliubov formalism

In a two-dimensional Bose–Einstein condensate, the reduction in dimensionality fundamentally influences collisions between the atoms. In the crossover regime from three to two dimensions, several scattering parameters have been considered. However, finite temperature results are more difficult to obtain. In this work, we present the many-body T-matrix at finite temperatures within a gapless Hartree–Fock–Bogoliubov approach and compare to zero and finite temperature results obtained using different approaches. A semi-classical renormalization method is used to remove the ultraviolet divergence of the anomalous average.

Coherence properties of the two-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate

We present a detailed finite-temperature Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) treatment of the two-dimensional trapped Bose gas. We highlight the numerical methods required to obtain solutions to the HFB equations within the Popov approximation, the derivation of which we outline. This method has previously been applied successfully to the three-dimensional case and we focus on the unique features of the system which are due to its reduced dimensionality. These can be found in the spectrum of low-lying excitations and in the coherence properties. We calculate the Bragg response and the coherence length within the condensate in analogy with experiments performed in the quasi-one-dimensional regime [Richard et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 010405 (2003)] and compare to results calculated for the one-dimensional case. We then make predictions for the experimental observation of the quasicondensate phase via Bragg spectroscopy in the quasi-two-dimensional regime.

Finite-temperature treatment of ultracold atoms in a one-dimensional optical lattice

We consider the effects of temperature upon the superfluid phase of ultracold, weakly interacting bosons in a one-dimensional optical lattice. We use a finite-temperature treatment of the Bose-Hubbard model based upon the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov formalism, considering both a translationally invariant lattice and one with additional harmonic confinement. In both cases we observe an upward shift in the critical temperature for Bose condensation. For the case with additional harmonic confinement, this is in contrast with results for the uniform gas.

Geometric scaling in the spectrum of an electron captured by a stationary finite dipole

We examine the energy spectrum of a charged particle in the presence of a non-rotating finite electric dipole. For any value of the dipole moment p above a certain critical value pc an infinite series of bound states arises of which the energy eigenvalues obey an Efimov-like geometric scaling law with an accumulation point at zero energy. These properties are largely destroyed in a realistic situation when rotations are included. Nevertheless, our analysis of the idealised case is of interest because it may possibly be realised using quantum dots as artificial atoms.