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We derive the most general expression for the Skyrmion topological charge for a two-dimensional spin texture, valid for any type of boundary conditions or for any arbitrary spatial region within the texture. It reduces to the usual one $Q = 1/4\pi \iint \vec f \cdot \left(\partial_x \vec f \times \partial_y \vec f\right)$ for the appropriate boundary conditions, with $\vec f$ the spin texture. The general expression resembles the Gauss-Bonet theorem for the Euler-Poincar\'e characteristic of a 2D surface, but it has definite differences, responsible for the assignment of the proper signs of the Skyrmion charges. Additionally, we show that the charge of a single Skyrmion is the product of the value of the normal component of the spin texture at the singularity times the Index or winding number of the transverse texture, a generalization of a Poincar\'e theorem. We illustrate our general results analyzing in detail a two-component spinor Bose-Einstein condensate in 2D in the presence of an external magnetic field, via the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. The condensate spin textures present Skyrmions singularities at the spatial locations where the transverse magnetic field vanishes. We show that the ensuing superfluid vortices and Skyrmions have the same value for their corresponding topological charges, in turn due to the structure of the magnetic field., Comment: 32 pages, 15 figures

The critical properties displayed by an ideal 2D Bose gas trapped in a harmonic potential are determined and characterized in an exact numerical fashion. Beyond thermodynamics, addressed in terms of the global pressure and volume which are the appropriate variables of a fluid confined in a non-uniform harmonic potential, the density-density correlation function is also calculated and the corresponding correlation length is found. Evaluation of all these quantities as Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) is approached manifest its critical continuous phase transition character. The divergence of the correlation length as the critical temperature is reached, unveils the expected spatial scale invariance proper of a critical transition. The logarithmic singularities of this transition are traced back to the non-analytic behavior of the thermodynamic variables at vanishing chemical potential, which is the onset of BEC. The critical exponents associated with the ideal BEC transition in the 2D inhomogeneous fluid reveals its own universality class., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures

We discuss $s$-wave scattering in an atomic binary collision with two coupled channels, tunable by an external magnetic field, one channel open and the other closed for the incident energies considered. The analysis is performed with a stylized model of square-well potentials. This simplification allows for a pedagogically thorough discussion of the different scattering resonances that appear in coupled channels. One of the them, the potential resonances at vanishing energy, occur as a bound state of the coupled system emerges, in turned tuned at a very precise value of the external field. The other resonances, described by Feshbach theory, occur when the incident energy is near a bound state of the closed channel, as if it were decoupled from the open channel. These resonances exist for values of the external field above a particular threshold value. Besides the potential intrinsic value of this study in a quantum mechanics course, as the analysis can be performed with minor numerical calculations, it is also an aid for the understanding of current research advances in the exciting field of ultracold gases., Comment: 26 pages, 20 figures

We show that the long-distance behavior of the two-body density correlation functions and the Cooper-pair probability density of a balanced mixture of a two-component Fermi gas at $T = 0$, is universal along the BEC-BCS crossover. Our result is demonstrated by numerically solving the mean-field BCS model for different finite short-range atomic interaction potentials. We find an analytic expression for the correlation length in terms of the chemical potential and the energy gap at zero momentum., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

The spatial structure of a two-dimensional homogeneous mixture of fermionic atoms in two hyperfine states is analyzed throughout the BEC-BCS crossover. Within the BCS-Leggett mean-field model we consider three functions: the pair wave function and the density-density correlation functions between atoms of the same and of different hyperfine states. For the correlation functions we derive analytical expressions which allow to unveil the rich spatial structure of the superfluid. Mainly, we are able to study the large-distance behavior of the three functions, which exhibits an exponential decay and a well-defined oscillatory behavior. We report closed-form expressions for the correlation lengths and mean pair radius. Differences and similarities emerge when comparing with the three dimensional case. Particularly, we find an expression for the large-distance correlation length, in terms of the chemical potential and the gap, valid in two and three dimensions, but whose dependence on the corresponding scattering lengths differ significantly., Comment: 34 pages, 7 figures. Accepted in Phys. Rev. A, see https://journals.aps.org/pra/accepted/d8074NfbY5a1a02910c67f107b6087078b3585374

Decoherence with recurrences appear in the dynamics of the one-body density matrix of an $F = 1$ spinor Bose-Einstein condensate, initially prepared in coherent states, in the presence of an external uniform magnetic field and within the single mode approximation. The phenomenon emerges as a many-body effect of the interplay of the quadratic Zeeman effect, that breaks the rotational symmetry, and the spin-spin interactions. By performing full quantum diagonalizations very accurate time evolution of large condensates are analyzed, leading to heuristic analytic expressions for the time dependence of the one-body density matrix, in the weak and strong interacting regimes, for initial coherent states. We are able to find accurate analytical expressions for both the decoherence and the recurrence times, in terms of the number of atoms and strength parameters, that show remarkable differences depending on the strength of the spin-spin interactions. The features of the stationary states in both regimes is also investigated. We discuss the nature of these limits in the light of the thermodynamic limit., Comment: 26 pages, 26 figures

With the use of thermodynamics and general equilibrium conditions only, we study the entropy of a fluid in the vicinity of the critical point of the liquid-vapor phase transition. By assuming a general form for the coexistence curve in the vicinity of the critical point, we show that the functional dependence of the entropy as a function of energy and particle densities necessarily obeys the scaling form hypothesized by Widom. Our analysis allows for a discussion on the properties of the corresponding scaling function, with the interesting prediction that the critical isotherm has the same functional dependence, between the energy and particles densities, as the coexistence curve. In addition to the derivation of the expected equalities of the critical exponents, the conditions that lead to scaling also imply that while the specific heat at constant volume can diverge at the critical point, the isothermal compressibility must do so., Comment: 27 pages, 4 figures

By an exact numerical calculation of the BCS pair wavefunction and the density correlation functions both between atoms in the same and in different spin states, we extract the spatial large distance behavior of the respective functions. After different initial transients, those distributions show an algebraic dependence accompanied with their own exponential decay and a well defined periodic oscillatory behavior. While in general, in the BCS side there are long-range correlations and in the BEC region the behavior is dominated by tight pairs formation, each distribution shows its own overall behavior. We derive analytic expressions for the mean pair size and the correlation lengths of the same and different density correlation functions. The whole analysis yields a quite complete description of the spatial structure of the superfluid along the crossover., Comment: 21 pages, 5 figures

By exact numerical solutions of the Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation in 3D, we assess the validity of 1D and 2D approximations in the study of Bose-Einstein condensates confined in harmonic trap potentials. Typically, these approximations are performed when one or more of the harmonic frequencies are much greater than the remaining ones, using arguments based on the adiabatic evolution of the initial approximated state. Deviations from the 3D solution are evaluated as a function of both the effective interaction strength and the ratio between the trap frequencies that define the reduced dimension where the condensate is confined. The observables analyzed are both stationary and dynamical character, namely, the chemical potential, the wave function profiles, and the time evolution of the approximated 1D and 2D stationary states, considered as initial states in the 3D GP equation. Our study, besides setting quantitative limits on approximations previously developed, should be useful in actual experimental studies where quasi-1D and quasi-2D conditions are assumed. From a qualitative perspective, 1D and 2D approximations certainly become valid when the anisotropy is large, but in addition, the interaction strength needs to be above a certain threshold., Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures

We show that ideal Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) in $d = 3$ dimensions is a non-classical critical second order phase transition with exponents $\alpha = -1$, $\beta = 1$, $\gamma = 1$, $\delta = 2$, $\eta = 1$ and $\nu = 1$, obeying all the scaling equalities. These results are found with no approximations or assumptions. The previous exponents are a critical universality class on its own, different from the so-far accepted notion that BEC belongs to the Spherical Model universality class., Comment: 6 pages, no figures

Under the presence of external magnetic fields with cylindrical symmetry, Skyrmion-string defects with arbitrary topological charges are shown to appear in spinor $F = 1$ Bose-Einstein condensates. We show that, depending on the magnetic field boundary condition, the topological spin texture, at the planes perpendicular to the cylindrical axis, can take zero, half integer, or arbitrary values between $-1/2$ and $1/2$. We argue that these are true topological defects since their charge is independent of the spatial location of the singularity and since the total Skyrmion charge is the sum of the individual charges of the defects present. Our findings are obtained by numerically solving the corresponding fully coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations without any symmetry assumptions. We analyze, both, polar $^{23}$Na and ferromagnetic $^{87}$Rb condensates., Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures

We study the richer structures of quasi-one-dimensional Bogoliubov-de Genes collective excitations of F = 1 spinor Bose-Einstein condensate in a harmonic trap potential loaded in an optical lattice. Employing a perturbative method we report general analytical expressions for the confined collective polar and ferromagnetic Goldstone modes. In both cases the excited eigenfrequencies are given as function of the 1D effective coupling constants, trap frequency and optical lattice parameters. It is shown that the main contribution of the optical lattice laser intensity is to shift the confined phonon frequencies. Moreover, for high intensities, the excitation spectrum becomes independent of the self-interaction parameters. We reveal some features of the evolution for the Goldstone modes as well as the condensate densities from the ferromagnetic to the polar phases.

The critical properties of the phase transition from a normal gas to a BEC (superfluid) of a harmonically confined Bose gas are addressed with the knowledge of an equation of state of the underlying homogeneous Bose fluid. It is shown that while the presence of the confinement trap arrests the usual divergences of the isothermal compressibility and heat capacities, the critical behavior manifests itself now in the divergence of derivatives of the mentioned susceptibilities. This result is illustrated with a mean-field like model of an equation of state for the homogeneous particle density as a function of the chemical potential and temperature of the gas. The model assumes the form of an ideal Bose gas in the normal fluid while in the superfluid state a function is proposed such that, both, asymptotically reaches the Thomas-Fermi solution of a weakly interacting Bose gas at large densities and low temperatures and, at the transition, matches the critical properties of the ideal Bose gas. With this model we obtain the {\it global} thermodynamics of the harmonically confined gas, from which we analyze its critical properties. We discuss how these properties can be experimentally tested., Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures

We present a survey of macroscopic excitations of harmonically confined Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC), described by Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation, in search of routes to develop quantum turbulence. These excitations can all be created by phase imprinting techniques on an otherwise equilibrium Bose-Einstein condensate. We analyze two crossed vortices, two parallel anti-vortices, a vortex ring, a vortex with topological charge Q = 2, and a tangle of 4 vortices. Since GP equation is time-reversal invariant, we are careful to distinguish time intervals in which this symmetry is preserved and those in which rounding errors play a role. We find that the system tends to reach stationary states that may be widely classified as having either an array of vortices with collective excitations at different length scales or an agitated state composed mainly of Bogoliubov phonons., Comment: 18 pages, 17 figures, Special issue QGFS2014 of the JLTP

Phase transitions are well understood and generally followed by the behavior of the associated thermodynamic quantities, such as in the case of the $\lambda$ point superfluid transition of liquid helium, which is observed in its heat capacity. In the case of a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), the heat capacity cannot be directly measured. In this work, we present a technique able to determine the global heat capacity from the density distribution of a weakly interacting gas trapped in an inhomogeneous potential. This approach represents an alternative to models based on local density approximation. By defining a pair of global conjugate variables, we determine the total internal energy and its temperature derivative, the heat capacity. We then apply the technique to a trapped $^{87}$Rb BEC a $\lambda$-type transition dependent on the atom number is observed, and the deviations from the non-interacting, ideal gas case are discussed. Finally we discuss the chances of using this method to study the heat capacity at $T \rightarrow 0$., Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures

The dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensation in a three-dimensional harmonic trap is studied explicitly including the Bogoliubov approximation for temperatures below the critical one. To model the evolution towards equilibrium at each cooling step, we derive quantum kinetic equations that describe the dynamics of the gas for temperatures above and below the transition temperature. These equations, valid in the Born and Markov approximations, consider the essential role of the chemical potential as the main parameter that signals the transition. The kinetic equation that describes the growth of the condensate below the transition temperature is derived within the Bogoliubov approximation. To illustrate our results we propose an energetic cooling protocol and simulate the whole sequence of the formation of a condensate., Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures

We introduce a novel mechanism to develop a turbulent flow in a spinor Bose-Einstein condensate, consisting in the stirring of a single line vortex by means of an external magnetic field. We find that density and velocity fluctuations have white-noise power spectra at large frequencies and that Kolmogorov 5/3 law is obeyed in the turbulent region. As the stirring is turned off, the flow decays to an agitated non-equilibrium state that shows an energy bottleneck crossover at small length scales. We demonstrate our findings by numerically solving two-state spinor coupled 3D Gross-Pitaevskii equations. We suggest that this mechanism may be experimentally implemented in spinor ultracold gases confined by optical traps., Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, 3 videos with URL provided

We measure the phase diagram of a $^{87}$Rb Bose gas in a harmonic trap in terms of macroscopic parameters obtained from the spatial distribution of atoms. Considering the relevant variables as size of the cloud ${\cal V}$, number of atoms $N$ and temperature $T$, a novel parameter $\Pi = \Pi(N,{\cal V},T)$ is introduced to characterize the overall pressure of the system. We construct the phase diagram ($\Pi$ vs $T$) identifying new features related to Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) transition in a trapped gas. A thermodynamic description of the phase transition based on purely macroscopic parameters, provide us with properties that do not need the local density approximation. An unexpected consequence of this analysis is the suggestion that BEC appears as a continuous third-order phase transition instead of being a second-order one., Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures

Predictions from Hartree-Fock (HF), Popov (P), Yukalov-Yukalova (YY) and $t$-matrix approximations regarding the thermodynamics from the normal to the BEC phase in weakly interacting Bose gases are considered. By analyzing the dependence of the chemical potential $\mu$ on temperature $T$ and particle density $\rho$ we show that none of them predicts a second-order phase transition as required by symmetry-breaking general considerations. In this work we find that the isothermal compressibility $\kappa_{T}$ predicted by these theories does not diverge at criticality as expected in a true second-order phase transition. Moreover the isotherms $\mu=\mu(\rho,T)$ typically exhibit a non-singled valued behavior in the vicinity of the BEC transition, a feature forbidden by general thermodynamic principles. This behavior can be avoided if a first order phase transition is appealed. The facts described above show that although these mean field approximations give correct results near zero temperature they are endowed with thermodynamic anomalies in the vicinity of the BEC transition. We address the implications of these results in the interpretation of current experiments with ultracold trapped alkali gases., Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures

We revisit the coherent or delocalized to self-trapping transition in an interacting bosonic quantum fluid confined in a double well potential, in the context of full quantum calculations. We show that an $N$-particle Bose-Hubbard fluid reaches an stationary state through the two-body interactions. These stationary states are either delocalized or self-trapped in one of the wells, the former appearing as coherent oscillations in the mean-field approximation. By studying one- and two-body properties in the energy eigenstates and in a set of coherent states, we show that the delocalized to self-trapped transition occurs as a function of the energy of the fluid, provided the interparticle interaction is above a critical or threshold value. We argue that this is a type of symmetry-breaking continuous phase transition., Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures