Feshbach-resonance-induced atomic filamentation and quantum pair correlation in atom-laser-beam propagation

TL;DR

This paper investigates how tuning a magnetic field near a Feshbach resonance affects atom laser beam propagation, leading to filamentation and correlated atomic pair generation due to modulational instability.

Contribution

It introduces a novel mechanism for controlling atomic beam filamentation and pair correlation via Feshbach resonance tuning in atom lasers.

Findings

Magnetic field tuning induces effective Kerr nonlinearity in atom lasers.

Modulational instability causes beam breakup and filamentation.

Correlated atomic pairs are generated during propagation.

Abstract

We study the propagation of an atom laser beam through a spatial region with a magnetic field tuned to a Feshbach resonance. Tuning the magnetic field below the resonance produces an effective focusing Kerr medium that causes a modulational instability of the atomic beam. Under appropriate circumstances, this results in beam breakup and filamentation seeded by quasi-particle fluctuations, and in the generation of correlated atomic pairs.