Discrete Solitons and Breathers with Dilute Bose-Einstein Condensates

Abstract

We study the dynamical phase diagram of a dilute Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) trapped in a periodic potential. The dynamics is governed by a discrete non-linear Schr\"odinger equation: intrinsically localized excitations, including discrete solitons and breathers, can be created even if the BEC's interatomic potential is repulsive. Furthermore, we analyze the Anderson-Kasevich experiment [Science 282, 1686 (1998)], pointing out that mean field effects lead to a coherent destruction of the interwell Bloch oscillations.