Quantum liquid droplets in a mixture of Bose-Einstein condensates
Year: 2018
Authors: Cabrera C. R., Tanzi L., Sanz J., Naylor B., Thomas P., Cheiney P., Tarruell L.
Autors Affiliation: ICFO–Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain.
Abstract: Quantum droplets are small clusters of atoms self-bound by the balance of attractive and repulsive forces. Here, we report on the observation of droplets solely stabilized by contact interactions in a mixture of two Bose-Einstein condensates. We demonstrate that they are several orders of magnitude more dilute than liquid helium by directly measuring their size and density via in situ imaging. We show that the droplets are stablized against collapse by quantum fluctuations and that they require a minimum atom number to be stable. Below that number, quantum pressure drives a liquid-to-gas transition that we map out as a function of interaction strength. These ultradilute isotropic liquids remain weakly interacting and constitute an ideal platform to benchmark quantum many-body theories.
Journal/Review: SCIENCE
Volume: 359 (6373) Pages from: 301 to: 304
KeyWords: quantum mixtures; quantum dropletsDOI: 10.1126/science.aao5686ImpactFactor: 41.063Citations: 492data from “WEB OF SCIENCE” (of Thomson Reuters) are update at: 2024-10-06References taken from IsiWeb of Knowledge: (subscribers only)Connecting to view paper tab on IsiWeb: Click hereConnecting to view citations from IsiWeb: Click here