Stable Skyrmions in

Two-Component Bose-Einstein
Condensates
Nigel Cooper
T.C.M. Group, Cavendish Laboratory,
University of Cambridge
UMIST, 8 Feb 2002
Richard Battye (Cambridge/Manchester),
Paul Sutclie (Kent)
[PRL 88, 080401 (2002)]
Overview
Atomic Bose-Einstein Condensates
Multi-component condensates
Topological Solitons
Stable Skyrmions
Summary
1
Bose-Einstein Condensation
T
a

h
2
m
2
T
k
B
T a n
1/3

T
>

a k
B
T
<

h
2
m
n
2/3
Bosons, T < T
c
B.E.C.
T = 0
N
=
N

i=1
( r
i
)
2
Atomic Bose-Einstein Condensates
k
B
T
c

h
2
m
n
2/3
100nK
87
Rb (JILA, 1995)
7
Li (Rice, 1995)
23
Na (MIT, 1995)
1
H (MIT, 1998)
85
Rb (JILA, 2000)
4
He

(Orsay, 2001)
[Anderson et. al. [JILA], Science 269, 198 (1995).]
3
Whats special about Atomic BECs?
Fantastic experimental control
[Abo-Shaeer et al.[MIT], Science 476, 476 (2001)]
Tunable eective interactions
s-wave scattering length, a.
atom a
87
Rb 5.77nm
7
Li 1.45nm
85
Rb ? 500nm
Novel uncondensed states
High vortex density [Wilkin & Gunn,. . .]
Superuid/(Mott) Insulator transition
[Greiner et al.[Munich], Nature 415, 39 (2002)]
Multi-component systems
Simultaneous trapping and cooling of atoms of
dierent species.
4
Multicomponent Condensates
Hyperne interaction

F =

I +

J
Typically:
J = S = 1/2 (Alkali gases)
I = 3/2 (
87
Rb,
23
Na,
7
Li)
|F = 2, m = 2, 1, 0, 1, 2
|F = 1, m = 1, 0, 1
Magnetic trap
87
Rb |F = 2, m = 2 and |F = 1, m = 1
[Myatt et. al.[JILA], PRL78, 586 (1997)]
87
Rb |F = 2, m = 1 and |F = 1, m = 1
[Hall et. al.[JILA], PRL81, 1539 (1998)]
Optical trap
23
Na |F = 1, m = 1, 0, 1
[Stenger et. al.[MIT], Nature 396, 345 (1998)]
Dierent atoms / Isotopes
85
Rb and
87
Rb [Bloch et. al.[Munich], PRA 64, 021402 (2001)]
5
Vortex in a two-component BEC
[Matthews et. al. [JILA], PRL 83, 2498 (1998).]
|1 = |1, 1
|2 = |2, 1
6
Gross-Pitaevskii Mean-Field Theory

N

N

i=1
(r
i
)
N =
_
d
3
r |(r)|
2
Minimise the expectation value of the energy
E =
_
d
3
r
_
h
2
2m
||
2
+ V (r)||
2
+
1
2
U||
4
_
at xed N (chemical potential) U a
7
Multi-component case

N

N

i=1
_

(r
i
)|
i

_
N

=
_
d
3
r |

(r)|
2
Energy (density)

h
2
2m
|

|
2
+ V

(r)|

|
2
+
1
2

,
U

|
2
|

|
2
U

all mutual two-body scattering lengths

N

conserved separate chemical potentials

=
_
_

2
.
.
.
_
_
topological solitons ?
8
Topological Textures
One-component condensate in one dimension.
(r) =

e
i

x
0 L
Topological invariant
Q =
1
2
_
L
0
d
dx
dx
9
Two-component condensate in three dimensions.
_

1

2
_
=

_
cos(/2)e
i
1
sin(/2)e
i
2
_
Q =
1
8
2
_
sin
i

2

ijk
d
3
r
Skyrmion
[Al Kawaja and Stoof, Nature 411, 918 (2001);
Ruostekoski and Anglin, PRL 86, 3934 (2001)]
[Three components, textures vortices, monopoles...]
10
How to obtain stable Skyrmions
Large Trap (|r| ) =

0
_
1
0
_
Constrain N
2
=
_
d
3
r |
2
|
2
Regime of phase separation: U
2
12
> U
11
U
22
We study U
11
U
12
U
22
s.t. (r) =
0
.
Find stable skyrmions of the form:
Imprint with lasers [Ruostekoski and Anglin, PRL 86, 3934 (2001)]
[cf. Cosmic vortons]
11
Mathematical Details
_

1

2
_
=

0
_
cos(/2)e
i
1
sin(/2)e
i
2
_
N
2
=
0
_
sin
2
(/2)d
3
r
Q =
1
8
2
_
sin
i

2

ijk
d
3
r
Energy density
h
2

0
2m
_
1
4
||
2
+ cos
2
(/2)|
1
|
2
+ sin
2
(/2)|
2
|
2
_
+sin
2

[
1
8

2
0
(2U
12
U
11
U
22
)]
Lengthscales:

_
h
2

2m
R
2
=
_
N
2

0
_
1/3
E(, N
2
) =
_
h
2

0
R
2
m
_
E
Q
()
..

R
2

12
Q=1
13
Q=2
14
Axisymmetric Ansatz
(r, z),
1
(r, z),
2
= m
[(r, , z) are cylindrical polar co-ordinates]
Q = mn
0 10 20 30

0
100
200
300

m
,
n
=
1
m=7
m=6
m=5
m=4
m=3
m=2
m=1
15
Moving Vortex Rings
Constrain the impulse (momentum)
P
i
=
h
2i
_
d
3
r[r
j

r
j

]
v =
E

P
0 0.5 1 1.5 2
p
54
54.5
55

Q
=
1
67
67.5
68

Q
=
2
Q=1
Q=2
16
Summary
Atomic Bose-Einstein condensates oer the
possibility of studying interacting Bose gases with a
high level of control (interaction strength,
connement, numbers of components).
In the regime of phase separation, two-component
BECs have stable textures with the topology of
Skyrmions (Q = 1, 2).
This regime is relevant for 2-component
87
Rb
systems. We expect that textures imprinted by lasers
will relax to these stable Skyrmion congurations.
17