Liquid-Gas phase transition in Bose-Einstein Condensates with time evolution

TL;DR

This paper investigates how a repulsive three-body interaction influences phase transitions in Bose-Einstein condensates, revealing a first-order liquid-gas transition and unique dynamical decay behaviors.

Contribution

It introduces a novel analysis of three-body interactions causing liquid-gas phase transitions in BECs, including time evolution with feeding and loss mechanisms.

Findings

First-order liquid-gas phase transition identified in BECs.

Longer decay times for dense phases due to oscillations.

Distinct time evolution patterns with feeding and recombination.

Abstract

We study the effects of a repulsive three-body interaction on a system of trapped ultra-cold atoms in Bose-Einstein condensed state. The stationary solutions of the corresponding $s-$wave non-linear Schr\"{o}dinger equation suggest a scenario of first-order liquid-gas phase transition in the condensed state up to a critical strength of the effective three-body force. The time evolution of the condensate with feeding process and three-body recombination losses has a new characteristic pattern. Also, the decay time of the dense (liquid) phase is longer than expected due to strong oscillations of the mean-square-radius.