Observation of Stable Jones-Roberts Solitons in Bose-Einstein Condensates

TL;DR

This paper reports the experimental creation and observation of stable two-dimensional Jones-Roberts solitons in a Bose-Einstein condensate, demonstrating their resistance to instabilities and potential for advanced applications.

Contribution

First experimental realization of stable 2D Jones-Roberts solitons in a BEC, confirming their stability in higher dimensions and revealing interaction signatures.

Findings

Jones-Roberts solitons are resistant to instabilities in BECs.

Observed signatures of dipole-like interactions.

Confirmed stability of these solitons in higher dimensions.

Abstract

We experimentally generate two-dimensional Jones-Roberts solitons in a three-dimensional atomic Bose-Einstein condensate by imprinting a triangular phase pattern. By monitoring their dynamics we observe that this kind of solitary waves are resistant to both dynamic (snaking) and thermodynamic instabilities, that usually are known to strongly limit the lifetime of dark plane solitons in dimensions higher than one. We additionally find signatures of a possible dipole-like interaction between them. Our results confirm that Jones-Roberts solitons are stable solutions of the non-linear Schr\"odinger equation in higher dimensions and promote these excitations for applications beyond matter wave physics, like energy and information transport in noisy and inhomogeneous environments.