Dynamical Formation of Multiple Quantum Droplets in a Bose-Bose Mixture

Year: 2025

Authors: Cavicchioli L., Fort C., Ancilotto F., Modugno M., Minardi F., Burchianti A.

Autors Affiliation: CNR, Ist Nazl Ott, INO, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Univ Firenze, Dipartimento Fis & Astron, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Univ Firenze, LENS, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Univ Padua, Dipartimento Fis & Astron Galileo Galilei, I-35131 Padua, Italy; Univ Padua, CNISM, I-35131 Padua, Italy; CNR, Officina Mat IOM, Via Bonomea 265, I-34136 Trieste, Italy; Univ Basque Country UPV EHU, Dept Phys, Bilbao 48080, Spain; Basque Fdn Sci, IKERBASQUE, Bilbao 48013, Spain; Univ Basque Country UPV EHU, EHU Quantum Ctr, Leioa, Biscay, Spain; Univ Bologna, Dipartimento Fis & Astron, I-40127 Bologna, Italy.

Abstract: We report on the formation of multiple quantum droplets in a heteronuclear 41K-87Rb mixture released in an optical waveguide. By a sudden change of the interspecies interaction from the noninteracting to the strongly attractive regime, we initially form a single droplet in an excited compression-elongation mode. The latter axially expands up to a critical length and then splits into two or more smaller fragments, recognizable as quantum droplets. We find that the number of formed droplets increases with decreasing interspecies attraction and increasing atom number. We show, by combining theory and experiment, that this behavior is consistent with capillary instability, which causes the breakup of the stretching droplet due to the surface tension. Our results open new possibilities to explore the properties of quantum liquids and systems of multiple quantum droplets in two-component bosonic mixtures.

Journal/Review: PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS

Volume: 134 (9)      Pages from: 93401-1  to: 93401-6

More Information: We thank Marco Fattori for critical reading, and the LENS Quantum Gases group for dis-cussions. This work was supported by the Italian Ministry of University and Research under the PRIN2022 Project No. 20227JNCWW, and co-funded by the European Union-Next Generation EU under the PNRR MUR Project PE0000023-NQSTI and under the Integrated infrastructure initiative in Photonic and Quantum Sci ences I-PHOQS. M. M. acknowledges support from Grant No. PID2021-126273NB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF Away of making Europe, and from the Basque Government through Grant No. IT1470-22.
KeyWords: Atoms; Drop breakup; Drop formation
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.134.093401