Multispecies time-dependent restricted-active-space self-consistent-field theory for ultracold atomic and molecular gases

Abstract

We discuss the multispecies time-dependent restricted-active-space (RAS) self-consistent-field theory, an ab initio wavefunction-based theory for mixtures of ultracold atomic and molecular gases. We present the general theory, based on the time-dependent variational principle, and derive the equations of motion. The theory captures in a time-dependent setting, via the specification of the RAS scheme, different levels of approximation from the mean-field to the full-configuration interaction approach. To assess its accuracy and to illustrate its ability to identify correlation effects at successive approximation levels, we apply the theory to compute the ground state energy of a Bose–Bose mixture interacting through a harmonic potential, for which the exact ground state energy is known analytically. We focus on the case of an ideal Bose gas interacting with a few impurities. The intra-species interaction between the impurities is relatively strong compared to the inter-species interaction between the impurities and the ideal non-interacting Bose gas. For this system, we find that an accurate description of the ground state necessitates the possibility of the theory to account for few-particle excitations out of the condensed phase; a situation well accounted for by the present RAS theory for mixtures; and not within reach for approaches not incorporating orbital-restriction schemes.