Candlestick Modes and Anisotropic Collapse of Dipolar Bose-Einstein Condensates

TL;DR

This paper investigates the unique candlestick-shaped ground states of dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates in elongated traps, revealing anisotropic collapse behavior and stability features through numerical and analytical methods.

Contribution

It introduces the discovery of candlestick ground states in dipolar BECs and analyzes their collapse dynamics and stability properties in highly-prolate traps.

Findings

Candlestick ground states form in elongated traps aligned with dipoles.

Collapse occurs anisotropically at the condensate's nucleus.

A cusp point in the mass vs. chemical potential curve indicates a stability signature.

Abstract

We use a gradient-decent method to compute 3D ground states of dipolar Bose-Einstein conden- sates. We discover that in highly-prolate traps, whose long axis is parallel to the dipoles, can give rise to candlestick ground states. Direct numerical simulations of the dipolar Gross-Pitaevskii equation reveal that the nucleus of the candlestick mode undergoes collapse, while obtaining a highly flat pancake shape. The rate of this anisotropic collapse scales differently from what occurs in isotropic collapse. Stability analysis reveals a surprising cusp point in the mass vs. chemical potential curve, which may serve as a signature for this dynamics.