V. Achilleos

Dark solitons and vortices in PT-symmetric nonlinear media: From spontaneous symmetry breaking to nonlinear PT phase transitions

We consider nonlinear analogs of parity-time- (PT-) symmetric linear systems exhibiting defocusing nonlinearities. We study the ground state and odd excited states (dark solitons and vortices) of the system and report the following remarkable features. For relatively weak values of the parameter e controlling the strength of the PT-symmetric potential, excited states undergo (analytically tractable) spontaneous symmetry breaking; as e is further increased, the ground state and first excited state, as well as branches of higher multisoliton (multivortex) states, collide in pairs and disappear in blue-sky bifurcations, in a way which is strongly reminiscent of the linear PT phase transition—thus termed the nonlinear PT phase transition. Past this critical point, initialization of, e.g., the former ground state, leads to spontaneously emerging solitons and vortices.

Beating dark–dark solitons in Bose–Einstein condensates

Motivated by recent experimental results, we study beating dark?dark (DD) solitons as a prototypical coherent structure that emerges in two-component Bose?Einstein condensates. We showcase their connection to dark?bright solitons via SO(2) rotation, and infer from it both their intrinsic beating frequency and their frequency of oscillation inside a parabolic trap. We identify them as exact periodic orbits in the Manakov limit of equal inter- and intra-species nonlinearity strengths with and without the trap and showcase the persistence of such states upon weak deviations from this limit. We also consider large deviations from the Manakov limit illustrating that this breathing state may be broken apart into dark?anti-dark soliton states. Finally, we consider the dynamics and interactions of two beating DD solitons in the absence and in the presence of the trap, inferring their typically repulsive interaction.

Dynamics of dark–bright solitons in cigar-shaped Bose–Einstein condensates

Abstract We explore the stability and dynamics of dark–bright (DB) solitons in two-component elongated Bose–Einstein condensates by developing effective one-dimensional vector equations and solving the three-dimensional Gross–Pitaevskii equations. A strong dependence of the oscillation frequency and of the stability of the DB soliton on the atom number of its components is found; importantly, the wave may become dynamically unstable even in the 1D regime. As the atom number in the dark-soliton-supporting component is further increased, spontaneous symmetry breaking leads to oscillatory dynamics in the transverse degrees of freedom. Moreover, the interactions of two DB solitons are investigated with an emphasis on the importance of their relative phases. Experimental results showcasing multiple DB soliton oscillations and a DB–DB collision in a Bose–Einstein condensate consisting of two hyperfine states of 87Rb confined in an elongated optical dipole trap are presented.

Dark-bright solitons in Bose–Einstein condensates at finite temperatures

We study the dynamics of dark-bright (DB) solitons in binary mixtures of Bose gases at finite temperature using a system of two coupled dissipative Gross?Pitaevskii equations. We develop a perturbation theory for the two-component system to derive an equation of motion for the soliton centers and identify different temperature-dependent damping regimes. We show that the effect of the bright (?filling?) soliton component is to partially stabilize ?bare? dark solitons against temperature-induced dissipation, thus providing longer lifetimes. We also study analytically thermal effects on DB soliton ?molecules? (i.e. two in-phase and out-of-phase DB solitons), showing that they undergo expanding oscillations while interacting. Our analytical findings are in good agreement with results obtained via a Bogoliubov?de Gennes analysis and direct numerical simulations.

Stationary states of a nonlinear Schrödinger lattice with a harmonic trap

We study a discrete nonlinear Schrodinger lattice with a parabolic trapping potential. The model, describing, e.g., an array of repulsive Bose-Einstein condensate droplets confined in the wells of an optical lattice, is analytically and numerically investigated. Starting from the linear limit of the problem, we use global bifurcation theory to rigorously prove that – in the discrete regime – all linear states lead to nonlinear generalizations thereof, which assume the form of a chain of discrete dark solitons (as the density increases). The stability of the ensuing nonlinear states is studied and it is found that the ground state is stable, while the excited states feature a chain of stability/instability bands. We illustrate the mechanisms under which discreteness destabilizes the dark-soliton configurations, which become stable only in the continuum regime. Continuation from the anti-continuum limit is also considered, and a rich bifurcation structure is revealed.

Oscillons and oscillating kinks in the Abelian-Higgs model

We study the classical dynamics of the Abelian Higgs model employing an asymptotic multiscale expansion method, which uses the ratio of the Higgs to the gauge field amplitudes as a small parameter. We derive an effective nonlinear Schrodinger equation for the gauge field, and a linear equation for the scalar field containing the gauge field as a nonlinear source. This equation is used to predict the existence of oscillons and oscillating kinks for certain regimes of the ratio of the Higgs to the gauge field masses. Results of direct numerical simulations are found to be in very good agreement with the analytical findings, and show that the oscillons are robust, while kinks are unstable. It is also demonstrated that oscillons emerge spontaneously as a result of the onset of the modulational instability of plane wave solutions of the model. Connections of the results with the phenomenology of superconductors is discussed.

Escape Dynamics in the Discrete Repulsive Model

Abstract We study deterministic escape dynamics of the discrete Klein–Gordon model with a repulsive quartic on-site potential. Using a combination of analytical techniques, based on differential and algebraic inequalities and selected numerical illustrations, we first derive conditions for collapse of an initially excited single-site unit, for both the Hamiltonian and the linearly damped versions of the system and showcase different potential fates of the single-site excitation, such as the possibility to be “pulled back” from outside the well or to “drive over” the barrier some of its neighbors. Next, we study the evolution of a uniform (small) segment of the chain and, in turn, consider the conditions that support its escape and collapse of the chain. Finally, our path from one to the few and finally to the many excited sites is completed by a modulational stability analysis and the exploration of its connection to the escape process for plane wave initial data. This reveals the existence of three distinct regimes, namely modulational stability, modulational instability without escape and, finally, modulational instability accompanied by escape. These are corroborated by direct numerical simulations. In each of the above cases, the variations of the relevant model parameters enable a consideration of the interplay of discreteness and nonlinearity within the observed phenomenology.

Statics and dynamics of atomic dark-bright solitons in the presence of delta-like impurities

Adopting a mean-field description for a two-component atomic Bose-Einstein condensate, we study the statics and dynamics of dark-bright solitons in the presence of localized impurities. We use adiabatic perturbation theory to derive an equation of motion for the dark-bright soliton center. We show that, counterintuitively, an attractive (repulsive) delta-like impurity, acting solely on the bright-soliton component, induces an effective localized barrier (well) in the effective potential felt by the soliton; this way, dark-bright solitons are reflected from (transmitted through) attractive (repulsive) impurities. Our analytical results for the small-amplitude oscillations of solitons are found to be in good agreement with results obtained via a Bogoliubov-de Gennes analysis and direct numerical simulations.

Multiscale perturbative approach toSU(2)-Higgs classical dynamics: Stability of nonlinear plane waves and bounds of the Higgs field mass

We study the classical dynamics of SU(2)-Higgs field theory using multiple scale perturbation theory. In the spontaneously broken phase, assuming small perturbations of the Higgs field around its vacuum expectation value, we derive a nonlinear Schroedinger equation and study the stability of its nonlinear plane wave solutions. The latter, turn out to be stable only if the Higgs amplitude is an order of magnitude smaller than that of the gauge field. In this case, the Higgs field mass possesses some bounds which may be relevant to the search for the Higgs particle at ongoing experiments.