Seminar QuantAlps: Friday, 17th January 2025 at 9:30 am
Jean Dalibard (Collège de France)
Title: Solitons in quantum fluids, a surprisingly rich world
Amphitheater Bergès, GreenEr
Abstract: Solitons are wave packets that maintain their shape during free propagation, thanks to a non-linearity that prevents the usual spreading. In quantum fluids, this non-linear element is provided by interactions, which can be described by a Gross-Pitaevskii-type equation. In this way, bright and dark solitons are observed for attractive and repulsive interactions, respectively. After describing some of these results, I will turn to mixtures of quantum gases which lead to a richer physics, with the emergence of magnetic solitons and liquid-like states, both of which show rather counterintuitive behaviors.