Dynamical formation of quantum droplets in a $^{39}$K mixture

TL;DR

This paper investigates the dynamical process of forming self-bound quantum droplets in an attractive $^{39}$K atom mixture, combining experimental insights with numerical simulations to understand the mechanisms involved.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the formation dynamics of quantum droplets, highlighting the roles of self-evaporation, three-body losses, and population balance.

Findings

Self-evaporation dissipates energy during droplet formation.

Three-body recombination affects droplet stability.

Population balancing influences droplet dynamics.

Abstract

We report on the dynamical formation of self-bound quantum droplets in attractive mixtures of $^{39}$K atoms. Considering the experimental observations of Semeghini et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 235301 (2018), we perform numerical simulations to understand the relevant processes involved in the formation of a metastable droplet from an out-of-equilibrium mixture. We first analyze the so-called self-evaporation mechanism, where the droplet dissipates energy by releasing atoms, and then we consider the effects of losses due to three-body recombinations and to the balancing of populations in the mixture. We discuss the importance of these three mechanisms in the observed droplet dynamics and their implications for future experiments.