Inter-Condensate Tunneling in Bose-Einstein Condensates with Feshbach Resonances

TL;DR

This paper explores the formation of a hybrid atomic/molecular Bose-Einstein condensate facilitated by Feshbach resonances, revealing inter-condensate tunneling of atom pairs through magnetic field-induced oscillations.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of a hybrid atomic/molecular condensate with inter-condensate tunneling, highlighting a new quantum tunneling phenomenon in BECs near Feshbach resonances.

Findings

Observation of oscillations in atom and molecule numbers after magnetic field variation

Identification of inter-condensate tunneling of atom pairs

Proposal of a signature for this quantum tunneling phenomenon

Abstract

Recently, effects of Feshbach resonances in atom-atom interactions were observed by varying the external magnetic field of an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). We point out that the quasi-bound molecules created in the intermediate state of the resonance can form a second, molecular condensate. The many-body state of the system is then a hybrid atomic/molecular condensate with inter-condensate tunneling of atom pairs. A sudden variation of the magnetic field results in oscillations of the number of atoms and molecules in their respective condensates, providing a signature of this novel type of quantum tunneling.