Matterwaves, Matterons, and the Atomtronic Transistor Oscillator

TL;DR

This paper develops a self-consistent theoretical model of an atomtronic transistor circuit, revealing how coherent matterwaves are generated and providing a classical analogy to electromagnetic circuits, introducing the concept of a 'matteron' as a dual to the photon.

Contribution

It introduces a novel classical circuit model for atomtronic transistors, including the concept of classical matterwaves and the dual particle 'matteron', advancing understanding of atom-based circuit dynamics.

Findings

Derived circuit parameters like transconductance and output current.

Established the analogy between matterwaves and microwave circuits.

Proposed the 'matteron' as a dual to the photon, distinct from deBroglie waves.

Abstract

A self-consistent theoretical treatment of a triple-well atomtronic transistor circuit reveals the mechanism of gain, conditions of oscillation, and properties of the subsequent coherent matterwaves emitted by the circuit. A Bose-condensed reservoir of atoms in a large source well provides a chemical potential that drives circuit dynamics. The theory is based on the ansatz that a condensate arises in the transistor gate well as a displaced ground state, that is, one that undergoes dipole oscillation in the well. That gate atoms remain condensed and oscillating is shown to be a consequence of the cooling induced by the emission of a matterwave into the vacuum. Key circuit parameters such as the transistor transconductance and output current are derived by transitioning to a classical equivalent circuit model. Voltage-like and current-like matterwave circuit wave fields are introduced in analogy with microwave circuits, as well as an impedance relationship between the two. This leads to a new notion of a classical coherent matterwave that is the dual of a coherent electromagnetic wave and which is distinct from a deBroglie matterwave associated with cold atoms. Subjecting the emitted atom flux to an atomic potential that will reduce the deBroglie wavelength, for example, will increase the classical matterwave wavelength. Quantization of the classical matterwave fields leads to the dual of the photon that is identified not as an atom but as something else, which is here dubbed a "matteron".