In a recent experiment, a Bose-Einstein condensate of 7 Li has been excited by a harmonic modulation of the atomic s-wave scattering length via Feshbach resonance. By combining an analytical perturbative approach with extensive numerical simulations, we analyze the emerging nonlinear dynamics of the system on the mean-field Gross-Pitaevskii level at zero temperature. Resulting excitation spectra are presented and prominent nonlinear features are found: mode coupling, higher harmonics generation, and significant shifts in the frequencies of collective modes. We indicate how nonlinear dynamical properties could be made clearly observable in future experiments and compared to our results.

Abstract.We investigate geometric resonances in Bose-Einstein condensates by solving the underlying time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation for systems with two-and three-body interactions in an axially-symmetric harmonic trap. To this end, we use a recently developed analytical method [Vidanović I et al 2011 Phys. Rev. A 84 013618], based on both a perturbative expansion and a Poincaré-Lindstedt analysis of a Gaussian variational approach, as well as a detailed numerical study of a set of ordinary differential equations for variational parameters. By changing the anisotropy of the confining potential, we numerically observe and analytically describe strong nonlinear effects: shifts in the frequencies and mode coupling of collective modes, as well as resonances. Furthermore, we discuss in detail the stability of a Bose-Einstein condensate in the presence of an attractive two-body interaction and a repulsive threebody interaction. In particular, we show that a small repulsive three-body interaction is able to significantly extend the stability region of the condensate.

We analytically and numerically study nonlinear dynamics in Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) induced either by a harmonic modulation of the interaction or by the geometry of the trapping potential. To analytically describe BEC dynamics, we use a perturbative expansion based on the Poincaré-Lindstedt analysis of a Gaussian variational ansatz, whereas in the numerical approach we use numerical solutions of both a variational system of equations and the full time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii equation. The harmonic modulation of the atomic s-wave scattering length of a BEC of 7 Li was achieved recently via Feshbach resonance, and such a modulation leads to a number of nonlinear effects, which we describe within our approach: mode coupling, higher harmonics generation and significant shifts in the frequencies of collective modes. In addition to the strength of atomic interactions, the geometry of the trapping potential is another key factor for the dynamics of the condensate, as well as for its collective modes. The asymmetry of the confining potential leads to important nonlinear effects, including resonances in the frequencies of collective modes of the condensate. We study in detail such geometric resonances and derive explicit analytic results for frequency shifts for the case of an axially symmetric condensate with two-and three-body interactions. Analytically obtained results are verified by extensive numerical simulations.

We study the collective excitation frequencies of a harmonically trapped 85 Rb Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in the vicinity of a Feshbach resonance. To this end, we solve the underlying Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation by using a Gaussian variational approach and obtain the coupled set of ordinary differential equations for the widths and the center of mass of the condensate. A linearization shows that the dipole-mode frequency decreases when the bias magnetic field approaches the Feshbach resonance, so the Kohn theorem is violated.

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