Bright Bose-Einstein gap solitons of atoms with repulsive interaction.
We report on the first experimental observation of bright matter wave solitons for 87Rb atoms with repulsive atom-atom interaction. This counterintuitive situation arises inside a weak periodic potential, where anomalous dispersion can be realized at the Brillouin zone boundary. If the coherent atomic wave packet is prepared at the corresponding band edge, a bright soliton is formed inside the gap. The strength of our system is the precise control of preparation and real time manipulation, allowing the systematic investigation of gap solitons.
Eiermann
B
B
Kirchhoff Institut für Physik, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 227, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
Anker
Th
T
Albiez
M
M
Taglieber
M
M
Treutlein
P
P
Marzlin
K-P
KP
Oberthaler
M K
MK