Dynamics of phase slips in systems with time-periodic modulation

Stabilization of cyclic processes by slowly varying forcing

We introduce a new mathematical framework for the qualitative analysis of dynamical stability, designed particularly for finite-time processes subject to slow-timescale external influences. In particular, our approach is to treat finite-time dynamical systems in terms of a slow-fast formalism in which the slow time only exists in a bounded interval, and consider stability in the singular limit. Applying this to one-dimensional phase dynamics, we provide stability definitions somewhat analogous to the classical infinite-time definitions associated with Aleksandr Lyapunov. With this, we mathematically formalize and generalize a phase-stabilization phenomenon previously described in the physics literature for which the classical stability definitions are inapplicable and instead our new framework is required.

Effect of trapping geometry on the parametric resonances in a disordered Bose-Einstein condensate driven by an oscillating potential

We report parametric resonances (PRs) in a numerical investigation of a driven one-dimensional, interacting, and disordered Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) confined in different traps. The BEC is excited by an oscillating Gaussian obstacle along a broad range of driving frequencies Ω. The PRs are detected via a quantity that is closely related to the time-average of the kinetic energy. The significant result of this work is that the trapping geometry plays a major role in defining the values of Ω at which PRs arise and controls their response to disorder. As such, it reveals the interplay of trapping geometry and disorder in these resonances. The dynamics of the modal coefficientC0(t) as well as that of the phase-mismatchδ(t) between theC0(t) andC1(t) are examined at and away from PR. At PR, |C0(t)| is generally found to be lower in magnitude than away from it, demonstrating that the atoms leave then= 0 ground state towards higher states. In the harmonic oscillator trap, the dynamic pattern ofδ(t) is found to be quite robust against changes in the disorder strength contrary to the box potential. This is because in the box the ratio of the random-potential and kinetic energies is higher than in the harmonic trap signaling that the influence of disorder is weaker in the latter.

Front depinning by deterministic and stochastic fluctuations: A comparison

Driven dissipative many-body systems are described by differential equations for macroscopic variables which include fluctuations that account for ignored microscopic variables. Here, we investigate the effect of deterministic fluctuations, drawn from a system in a state of phase turbulence, on front dynamics. We show that despite these fluctuations a front may remain pinned, in contrast to fronts in systems with Gaussian white noise fluctuations, and explore the pinning-depinning transition. In the deterministic case, this transition is found to be robust but its location in parameter space is complex, generating a fractal-like structure. We describe this transition by deriving an equation for the front position, which takes the form of an overdamped system with a ratchet potential and chaotic forcing; this equation can, in turn, be transformed into a linear parametrically driven oscillator with a chaotically oscillating frequency. The resulting description provides an unambiguous characterization of the pinning-depinning transition in parameter space. A similar calculation for noise-driven front propagation shows that the pinning-depinning transition is washed out.