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Biao, Wu

Publications and source records attributed to Biao, Wu.

Berry connection in atom-molecule systems

In the mean-field theory of atom-molecule systems, where bosonic atoms combine to form molecules, there is no usual U(1) symmetry, presenting an apparent hurdle for defining the Berry phase and Berry curvature for these systems. We define a Berry connection for this system, with which the Berry phase and Berry curvature can be naturally computed. We use a three-level atom-molecule system to illustrate our results. In particular, we have computed the mean-field Berry curvature of this system analytically, and compared it to the Berry curvature computed with the second-quantized model of the same system. An excellent agreement is found, indicating the validity of our definition.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Sensitive frequency dependence of the carrier-envelope phase effect on bound-bound transitions: An interference perspective

We investigate numerically with Hylleraas coordinates the frequency dependence of the carrier-envelope phase (CEP) effect on bound-bound transitions of helium induced by an ultrashort laser pulse of a few cycles. We find that the CEP effect is very sensitive to the carrier frequency of the laser pulse, occurring regularly even at far-off-resonance frequencies. By analyzing a two-level model, we find that the CEP effect can be attributed to the quantum interference between neighboring multiphoton transition pathways, which is made possible by the broadened spectrum of the ultrashort laser pulse. A general picture is developed along this line to understand the sensitivity of the CEP effect to the laser's carrier frequency. Multilevel influence on the CEP effect is also discussed.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Hidden vortices in a Bose-Einstein condensate in a rotating double-well potential

We study vortex formation in a Bose-Einstein condensate in a rotating double-well potential. In addition to the ordinary quantized vortices and elusive ghost vortices, 'hidden' vortices are found distributed along the central barrier. These hidden vortices are invisible like ghost vortices but carry angular momentum. Moreover, their core size is not given by the healing length, but is strongly influenced by the external potential. We find that the Feynman rule can be well satisfied only after including the hidden vortices. There is no critical rotation frequency for the formation of hidden vortices while there is one for the formation of ordinary visible vortices. Hidden vortices can be revealed in the free expansion of Bose-Einstein condensates. In addition, the hidden vortices in a Bose-Einstein condensate can appear in other external potentials, such as a rotating anisotropic toroidal trap.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Atomic quantum corrals for Bose-Einstein condensates

We consider the dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates in a corral-like potential. Compared to the electronic quantum corrals, the atomic quantum corrals have the advantages of allowing direct and convenient observation of the wave dynamics, together with adjustable interaction strength. Our numerical study shows that these advantages not only allow exploration of the rich dynamical structures in the density distribution but also make the corrals useful in many other aspects. In particular, the corrals for atoms can be arranged into a stadium shape for the experimental visualization of quantum chaos, which has been elusive with electronic quantum corrals. The density correlation is used to describe quantitatively the dynamical quantum chaos. Furthermore, we find that the interatomic interaction can greatly enhance the dynamical quantum chaos, for example, inducing a chaotic behavior even in circle-shaped corrals.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗