Mini droplet, mega droplet and stripe formation in a dipolar condensate

TL;DR

This paper models and demonstrates the formation of mini droplets, mega droplets, and stripe patterns in a dipolar 164Dy condensate using an improved mean-field approach with a quasi-2D trap, revealing new droplet configurations and supersolid behavior.

Contribution

It introduces a novel quasi-2D trapping configuration and an enhanced mean-field model to predict droplet and stripe formations in dipolar condensates, differing from previous experiments.

Findings

Mini droplets form at N=1000 atoms.

Large supersolid-like droplet arrays emerge with more atoms.

Stripe patterns are observed in the x-z plane.

Abstract

We demonstrate mini droplet, mega droplet and stripe formation in a dipolar 164Dy condensate, using an improved mean-field model including a Lee-Huang-Yang-type interaction, employing a quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) trap in a way distinct from that in the pioneering experiment, M. A. Norcia et. al., Nature 596, 357 (2021), where the polarization z direction was taken to be perpendicular to the quasi-2D x-y plane. In the present study we take the polarization z direction in the quasi-2D x-z plane. Employing the same trapping frequencies as in the experiment, and interchanging the frequencies along the y and z directions, we find the formation of mini droplets for number of atoms N as small as N = 1000. With the increase of number of atoms, a spatially-periodic supersolid-like one-dimensional array of mega droplets containing 50000 to 200000 atoms are formed along the x direction in the x-y plane. These mega droplets are elongated along the polarization z direction, consequently, the spatially periodic arrangement of droplets appears as a stripe pattern in the x-z plane. To establish the supersolidity of the droplets we demonstrate continued dipole-mode and scissors-mode oscillations of the droplet-lattice pattern. The main findings of the present study can be tested experimentally with the present know-how.