Wavepacket Dynamics in Nonlinear Schrödinger Equations

Simon Moulieras 1, Alejandro G. Monastra 2, 3, Marcos Saraceno 4, Patricio Leboeuf 1

Physical Review A 85 (2012) 013841

Coherent states play an important role in quantum mechanics because of their unique properties under time evolution. Here we explore this concept for one-dimensional repulsive nonlinear Schrödinger equations, which describe weakly interacting Bose-Einstein condensates or light propagation in a nonlinear medium. It is shown that the dynamics of phase-space translations of the ground state of a harmonic potential is quite simple: the centre follows a classical trajectory whereas its shape does not vary in time. The parabolic potential is the only one that satis?fies this property. We study the time evolution of these nonlinear coherent states under perturbations of their shape, or of the confi?ning potential. A rich variety of e?ects emerges. In particular, in the presence of anharmonicities, we observe that the packet splits into two distinct components. A fraction of the condensate is transferred towards uncoherent high-energy modes, while the amplitude of oscillation of the remaining coherent component is damped towards the bottom of the well.

  • 1. Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Modèles Statistiques (LPTMS),
    CNRS : UMR8626 – Université Paris XI – Paris Sud
  • 2. Gerencia Investigación y Aplicaciones,
    Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica
  • 3. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET),
    University of Buenos Aires
  • 4. Gerencia Investigación y Aplicaciones,
    Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica
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