Classical phase-space approach for coherent matter waves
Abstract
We investigate a classical phase-space approach of matter-wave propagation based on the truncated Wigner equation (TWE). We show that such a description is suitable for ideal matter waves in quadratic time-dependent confinement as well as for harmonically trapped Bose-Einstein condensates in the Thomas-Fermi regime. In arbitrary interacting regimes, the TWE combined with the moment method yields the low-energy spectrum of a condensate as predicted by independent variational methods. TWE also gives the right breathing-mode frequency for long-ranged interactions decaying as 1/r2 in three dimensions and for a contact potential in two dimensions. Quantum signatures, beyond the TWE, may only be found in the condensate dynamics beyond the regimes of classical phase-space propagation identified here.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review A
- Pub Date:
- June 2010
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevA.81.065602
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1007.0049
- Bibcode:
- 2010PhRvA..81f5602I
- Keywords:
-
- 03.75.Kk;
- 03.65.Sq;
- 03.75.Be;
- Dynamic properties of condensates;
- collective and hydrodynamic excitations superfluid flow;
- Semiclassical theories and applications;
- Atom and neutron optics;
- Condensed Matter - Quantum Gases;
- Quantum Physics
- E-Print:
- 5 pages, no figures. Final version