Simulating Astrophysics with Catastrophe Atom Optics

ORAL

Abstract

Atom lasers provide a powerful method for studying coherence in Bose-Einstein Condensates (BECs), with many applications, including matter-wave interference, the quantum-classical boundary, and catastrophe theory. Here we probe a Rb87 atom laser with an attractive gaussian potential to simulate astrophysical phenomena. As an example, we demonstrate phenomena reminiscent of Bondi-Hoyle accretion.

*This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through Grant No. PHY-2012190. Additional support was provided by the fall 2021 Physics Fellowship at WSU.

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Presenters

  • Ryan Corbin

    • Washington State University
    • Washington State Univ

Authors

  • Ryan Corbin

    • Washington State University
    • Washington State Univ

  • Michael M Forbes

    • Washington State University
    • Washington State Univ
    • Washington State University, University of Washington
    • Washington State Univ and Univ of Washington

  • Maren E Mossman

    • University of San Diego
    • Department of Physics and Biophysics, University of San Diego, San Diego, California

  • Peter W Engels

    • Washington State University
    • Washington State Univ
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-2814, USA