Time-periodic Modulation Research Articles

Interference-induced suppression of particle emission from a Bose–Einstein condensate in lattice with time-periodic modulations

Abstract Emission of matter-wave jets from a parametrically driven condensate has attracted significant experimental and theoretical attention due to the appealing visual effects and potential metrological applications. In this work, we investigate the collective particle emission from a Bose–Einstein condensate confined in a one-dimensional lattice with periodically modulated interparticle interactions. We give the regimes for discrete modes, and find that the emission can be distinctly suppressed. The configuration induces a broad band, but few particles are ejected due to the interference of the matter waves. We further qualitatively model the emission process and demonstrate the short-time behaviors. This engineering provides a way to manipulate the propagation of particles and the corresponding dynamics of condensates in lattices, and may find application in the dynamical excitation control of other nonequilibrium problems with time-periodic driving.

Effects of gravity and anisotropy on the convective instability in a nanofluid porous medium

Controlling thermal loads in heat transfer systems that produce high heat flux is a real mechanical challenge. Various cooling/heating techniques are available to achieve the reliability requirements of electronic devices. Among them, the use of nanofluids is one of the important techniques that provide long term stability, higher cooling rates, decreased pumping power needs, and cost-effectiveness. Instability in fluids typically occurs when a disturbance affects the equilibrium of forces of external, inertial, or viscous origin acting on a system. The disturbances may arise from the surroundings due to small changes in the boundary conditions, surface roughness, free stream turbulence, noise, etc. In several circumstances, these disturbances are very small and hence cannot be measured with the available instruments but can be observed after the instability sets in. In this study, we focus on examining the effect of time-periodic vertical gravity modulation on the initiation of natural convection in a porous medium saturated with a nanofluid. The porous medium is characterized by being heated at the bottom and possessing anisotropic properties in terms of permeability and thermal diffusivity. Specifically, we investigate the onset of convection in water-based nanofluids that contain metallic (Cu) and metal oxide ( A l 2 O 3 ) particles. The Khanafer-Vafai-Lightstone (KVL) nanofluid model is employed to describe the behavior of the nanofluids, and the thresholds for convective instability are determined using the Mathieu functions. In addition, we study the instabilities of synchronous and subharmonic modes and explore their transitions along with practical applications.

Molecular heat transport across a time-periodic temperature gradient.

The time-periodic modulation of a temperature gradient can alter the heat transport properties of a physical system. Oscillating thermal gradients give rise to behaviors such as modified thermal conductivity and controllable time-delayed energy storage that are not present in a system with static temperatures. Here, we examine how the heat transport properties of a molecular lattice model are affected by an oscillating temperature gradient. We use analytical analysis and molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the vibrational heat flow in a molecular lattice system consisting of a chain of particles connected to two heat baths at different temperatures, where the temperature difference between baths is oscillating in time. We derive expressions for heat currents in this system using a stochastic energetics framework and a nonequilibrium Green's function approach that is modified to treat the nonstationary average energy fluxes. We find that emergent energy storage, energy release, and thermal conductance mechanisms induced by the temperature oscillations can be controlled by varying the frequency, waveform, and amplitude of the oscillating gradient. The developed theoretical approach provides a general framework to describe how vibrational heat transmission through a molecular lattice is affected by temperature gradient oscillations.

Influence of Two-Frequency Rotational Modulation on the Dynamics of the Rayleigh–Bénard Convection in Water-Based Nanoliquids with Either AA7072 or AA7075 Nanoparticles

The effect of time-periodic two-frequency rotation modulation on Rayleigh–Bénard convection in water with either AA7072 or AA7075 nanoparticles is investigated. The single-phase description of the Khanafer–Vafai–Lightstone model is used for modeling the nanoliquids. An asymptotic expansion procedure is adopted in the case of the linear stability to obtain the correction (due to modulation) to the Rayleigh number at marginal stability of unmodulated convection. A nonlinear regime of convection is considered with a nonautonomous generalized Lorenz model as the governing equation. The method of multiscales is then employed to obtain the coupled nonautonomous Ginzburg–Landau equations with cubic nonlinearity from the Lorenz model. These equations are presented in the phase-amplitude form and the amplitude is used to quantify the heat transport. The modulation amplitude is considered to be small (of order less than unity) and moderate frequencies of modulation are considered. We found that there is a threshold frequency beyond which the system behavior reverses. At frequencies below the threshold, the mean Nusselt number increases with an increase in the amplitude of modulation while an opposite influence is seen for values above the threshold. Such a behavior is a consequence of what is analogously seen in the case of the critical Rayleigh number. The influence of two-frequency modulation is more pronounced on the results of the linear and nonlinear regimes compared to that of the single-frequency one. The heat transport is enhanced due to the presence of dilute concentration of suspended nanoparticles (either AA7072 or AA7075 nanoalloys) in water. The influence of nanoparticles is to modify the threshold values generating chaos but it does not qualitatively alter the dynamical behavior of the system. The plots of Lyapunov exponents reveal that there is no possibility of hyper-chaos in the generalized Lorenz model when there is a rotational modulation.

Energy transport between heat baths with oscillating temperatures.

Energy transport is a fundamental physical process that plays a prominent role in the function and performance of myriad systems and technologies. Recent experimental measurements have shown that subjecting a macroscale system to a time-periodic temperature gradient can increase thermal conductivity in comparison to a static temperature gradient. Here, we theoretically examine this mechanism in a nanoscale model by applying a stochastic Langevin framework to describe the energy transport properties of a particle connecting two heat baths with different temperatures, where the temperature difference between baths is oscillating in time. Analytical expressions for the energy flux of each heat bath and for the system itself are derived for the case of a free particle and a particle in a harmonic potential. We find that dynamical effects in the energy flux induced by temperature oscillations give rise to complex energy transport hysteresis effects. The presented results suggest that applying time-periodic temperature modulations is a potential route to control energy storage and release in molecular devices and nanosystems.

Forced vortex merging and splitting events in ferrofluidic Couette flow

Time-dependent boundary conditions are ubiquitous in numerous natural and industrial flows. However, to date, the influence of such temporal modulations has been given minor attention. This research addresses ferrofluidic Couette flow in between co-rotating cylinders in a spatially homogeneous magnetic field subject to time-periodic modulation. Using a modified Niklas approximation, we study the effect of amplitude and frequency modulation onto the transition scenarios between different toroidal flow structures, non-propagating vortex (nV) states, via vortex merging and splitting. Thereby, the system response appears to be quite sensitive/dependent on the driving frequency ΩH, which can cause a notable “delay” in the system response. Further, as a result of the inertia of the ferrofluid, resisting the fast-changing accelerating Kelvin force, new, temporal nV states appear within an alternating field. These states are unstable under static fields. Finally, we show that within the same nV state, while keeping similar flow dynamics, large discrepancies in angular momentum and torque can be observed.

Generation of higher harmonics in dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates trapped in periodically modulated potentials.

We consider a quasi-one-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate with contact and long-range dipolar interactions, under the action of the time-periodic modulation applied to the harmonic-oscillator and optical-lattice trapping potentials. The modulation results in generation of a variety of harmonics in oscillations of the condensate's width and centre-of-mass coordinate. These include multiple and combinational harmonics, represented by sharp peaks in the system's spectra. Approximate analytical results are produced by the variational method, which are verified by systematic simulations of the underlying Gross-Pitaevskii equation. This article is part of the theme issue 'New trends in pattern formation and nonlinear dynamics of extended systems'.

Two-dimensional bright soliton in exciton-polariton condensate

In non-conservative nonlinear systems, the basic physical mechanics of soliton generation is that the kinetic energy and nonlinear terms of the system, as well as the gain and dissipation terms reach a double dynamic balance. How to generate stable free high-dimensional solitons in such a system is currently a challenging topic in soliton theory. In this article, we propose a theoretical scheme for realizing two-dimensional free bright solitons in exciton-polariton Bose-Einstein condensates, which proposes a physical mechanism for generating stable two-dimensional free space bright solitons through time periodic modulation interactions and a dual balance between gain and dissipation. In this end, firstly, we obtain the dynamic equations of two-dimensional bright soliton parameters through the Lagrange variational method, and obtain its dynamically stable parameter space. Secondly, the evolution of the generalized dissipative Gross-Pitaveskii equation is numerically simulated to verify the stability of two-dimensional bright solitons. Finally, we add Gaussian noise to simulate a real experimental environment and find that two-dimensional bright solitons are also stable within the observable time range of the experiment. Our experimental scheme opens the door to the study of bright solitons in high-dimensional free space in non-conservative systems.

Linear impulse response in three-dimensional oscillatory boundary layers formed by periodic modulation of a rotating disk

A numerical investigation is undertaken on the development of linear disturbances in the rotating disk boundary layer, in which a time-periodic modulation is applied to the disk rotation rate. The model gives a prototypical example of a three-dimensional oscillatory boundary layer, by adding a Stokes layer to the von Kármán flow that develops on a steady disk. The study extends the Floquet analysis of Morgan et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 925, 2021, A20), who showed that disk modulation stabilises the stationary convective instabilities found on the steady rotating disk. Using a radial homogeneous flow approximation, whereby the radial dependence of the basic state is ignored, disturbance development is simulated for several modulation settings, with flow conditions matched to both convective and absolute forms of linear instability. Disturbances excited via a stationary periodic wall forcing display behaviour consistent with that found using Floquet theory; time-periodic modulation stabilises the cross-flow instability by reducing the radial growth rate. In addition, convective and absolute instabilities, generated by an impulsive wall forcing, are both stabilised by the introduction of modulation to the disk rotation rate. Modulation establishes a significant reduction in both the temporal growth rate and the disturbance amplitude as it propagates away from the impulse origin. Moreover, greater stabilising control benefits are realised as the modulation amplitude increases.

Engineering Floquet dynamical quantum phase transitions

Floquet dynamical quantum phase transitions (FDQPTs) are signified by recurrent nonanalytic behaviors of observables in time. In this work, we introduce a quench-free and generic approach to engineer and control FDQPTs for both pure and mixed Floquet states. By applying time-periodic modulations with two commensurate driving frequencies to a general class of spin chain model, we find multiple FDQPTs within each driving period. The nonanalytic cusps of return probability form sublattice structures in time domain. Notably, the number and time-locations of these cusps can be flexibly controlled by tuning the Hamiltonian parameter and the higher frequency of the drive. We further employ the dynamical topological order parameter (DTOP), which shows a quantized jump whenever a DQPT happens, to identify the topological feature of FDQPTs. Our findings reveal the advantage of engineering nonequilibrium phase transitions with multi-frequency driving fields.

Frequency conversion in time-varying graphene microribbon arrays.

We investigate the possibility of frequency conversion in time-varying metasurfaces, composed of graphene microribbon arrays (GMRAs) with time-periodic modulation of their conductivity. We present a quasi-static model for the interaction of light with a temporally modulated metasurface, as well as an accurate analytical treatment of the problem of time-varying GMRAs. Results coming from numerical simulations are also available. We provide corrections to a previous related proposal for frequency conversion and refute the possibility of attaining frequency shifts not equal to an integral multiple of modulation frequency. Contrary to the preceding results, our findings show that efficient frequency conversion demands more requisites than single-layer GMRAs can supply and that its requirements can be addressed successfully by a multi-layer design.

Dynamics of Quantum State and Effective Hamiltonian with Vector Differential Form of Motion Method

Effective Hamiltonians in periodically driven systems have received widespread attention for realization of novel quantum phases, non-equilibrium phase transition, and Majorana mode. Recently, the study of effective Hamiltonian using various methods has gained great interest. We consider a vector differential equation of motion to derive the effective Hamiltonian for any periodically driven two-level system, and the dynamics of the spin vector are an evolution under the Bloch sphere. Here, we investigate the properties of this equation and show that a sudden change of the effective Hamiltonian is expected. Furthermore, we present several exact relations, whose expressions are independent of the different starting points. Moreover, we deduce the effective Hamiltonian from the high-frequency limit, which approximately equals the results in previous studies. Our results show that the vector differential equation of motion is not affected by a convergence problem, and thus, can be used to numerically investigate the effective models in any periodic modulating system. Finally, we anticipate that the proposed method can be applied to experimental platforms that require time-periodic modulation, such as ultracold atoms and optical lattices.

Resonantly enhanced polariton wave mixing and parametric instability in a Floquet medium.

We introduce a new theoretical approach for analyzing pump and probe experiments in non-linear systems of optical phonons. In our approach, the effect of coherently pumped polaritons is modeled as providing time-periodic modulation of the system parameters. Within this framework, propagation of the probe pulse is described by the Floquet version of Maxwell's equations and leads to phenomena such as frequency mixing and resonant parametric production of polariton pairs. We analyze light reflection from a slab of insulating material with a strongly excited phonon-polariton mode and obtain analytic expressions for the frequency-dependent reflection coefficient for the probe pulse. Our results are in agreement with recent experiments by Cartella et al. [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 115, 12148 (2018)], which demonstrated light amplification in a resonantly excited SiC insulator. We show that, beyond a critical pumping strength, such systems should exhibit Floquet parametric instability, which corresponds to resonant scattering of pump polaritons into pairs of finite momentum polaritons. We find that the parametric instability should be achievable in SiC using current experimental techniques and discuss its signatures, including the non-analytic frequency dependence of the reflection coefficient and the probe pulse afterglow. We discuss possible applications of the parametric instability phenomenon and suggest that similar types of instabilities can be present in other photoexcited non-linear systems.

Dynamical quantum phase transitions in the one-dimensional extended Fermi–Hubbard model

We study the emergence of dynamical quantum phase transitions (DQPTs) in a half-filled one-dimensional lattice described by the extended Fermi–Hubbard model, based on tensor network simulations. Considering different initial states, namely noninteracting, metallic, insulating spin and charge density waves, we identify several types of sudden interaction quenches which lead to DQPTs. Furthermore, clear connections to particular properties of observables, specifically the mean double occupation or charge imbalance, are established in two main regimes, and scenarios in which such correspondence is degraded and lost are discussed. Dynamical transitions resulting solely from high-frequency time-periodic modulation are also found, which are well described by a Floquet effective Hamiltonian. State-of-the-art cold-atom quantum simulators constitute ideal platforms to implement several reported DQPTs experimentally.

Ferrofluidic Couette flow in time-varying magnetic field

Despite time-dependent boundary conditions being ubiquitous in natural and industrial flows, to date the influence of such temporal modulations (e.g. with driving frequency ΩH) has been given minor attention. The present problem addresses ferrofluidic Couette flow in between counter-rotating cylinders in a spatially homogeneous magnetic field subject to time-periodic modulation. Such a modulation can lead to a significant inner Reynolds number (Rei) enhancement for both, either helical and toroidal flow structures. Using a modified Niklas approximation, the effect of low- and high-frequency modulation onto the primary instabilities, stability boundaries as well as on the non-linear oscillations that may occur is investigated. Focusing on bi-stable co-existing solutions, around their stability thresholds quite complex non-linear system response and flow dynamics is detected. For the system remaining supercritical always a single solution is selected by ΩH, while crossing the bifurcation thresholds within a modulation period the triggered system response is more complex, reaching from alternation between different solutions towards the appearance of intermittent behavior.

Strain and pseudo-magnetic fields in optical lattices from density-assisted tunneling

Applying time-periodic modulations is routinely used to control and design synthetic matter in quantum-engineered settings. In lattice systems, this approach is explored to engineer band structures with non-trivial topological properties, but also to generate exotic interaction processes. A prime example is density-assisted tunneling, by which the hopping amplitude of a particle between neighboring sites explicitly depends on their respective occupations. Here, we show how density-assisted tunneling can be tailored in view of simulating the effects of strain in synthetic graphene-type systems. Specifically, we consider a mixture of two atomic species on a honeycomb optical lattice: one species forms a Bose-Einstein condensate in an anisotropic harmonic trap, whose inhomogeneous density profile induces an effective uniaxial strain for the second species through density-assisted tunneling processes. In direct analogy with strained graphene, the second species experiences a pseudo-magnetic field, hence exhibiting relativistic Landau levels and the valley Hall effect. Our proposed scheme introduces a unique platform for the investigation of strain-induced gauge fields, opening the door to future studies of their possible interplay with quantum fluctuations and collective excitations.

Interplay between Binary and Three-Body Interactions and Enhancement of Stability in Trapless Dipolar Bose–Einstein Condensates

We investigate the nonlocal Gross–Pitaevskii (GP) equation with long-range dipole-dipole and contact interactions (including binary and three-body collisions). We address the impact of the three-body interaction on stabilizing trapless dipolar Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs). It is found that the dipolar BECs exhibit stability not only for the usual combination of attractive binary and repulsive three-body interactions, but also for the case when these terms have opposite signs. The trapless stability of the dipolar BECs may be further enhanced by time-periodic modulation of the three-body interaction imposed by means of Feshbach resonance. The results are produced analytically using the variational approach and confirmed by numerical simulations.

Control of stationary convective instabilities in the rotating disk boundary layer via time-periodic modulation

The control of stationary convective instabilities in the rotating disk boundary layer via a time-periodic modulation of the disk rotation rate is investigated. The configuration provides an archetypal example of a three-dimensional temporally periodic boundary layer, encompassing both the von Kármán and Stokes boundary layers. A velocity–vorticity formulation of the governing perturbation equations is deployed, together with a numerical procedure that utilises the Chebyshev-tau method. Floquet theory is used to determine the linear stability properties of these time-periodic flows. The addition of a time-periodic modulation to the otherwise steady disk rotation rate establishes a stabilising effect. In particular, for a broad range of modulation frequencies, the growth of the stationary convective instabilities is suppressed and the critical Reynolds number for the onset of both the cross-flow and Coriolis instabilities is raised to larger values than that found for the steady disk without modulation. An energy analysis is undertaken, where it is demonstrated that time-periodic modulation induces a reduction in the Reynolds stress energy production and an increase in the viscous dissipation across the boundary layer. Comparisons are made with other control techniques, including distributed surface roughness and compliant walls.

Tailoring quantum gases by Floquet engineering

Floquet engineering is the concept of tailoring a system by a periodic drive, and it is increasingly employed in many areas of physics. Ultracold atoms in optical lattices offer a particularly large toolbox to design a variety of driving schemes. A strong motivation for developing these methods is the prospect to study the interplay between topology and interactions in a system where both ingredients are fully tunable. We review the recent successes of Floquet engineering in realizing new classes of Hamiltonians in quantum gases, such as Hamiltonians including artificial gauge fields, topological band structures and density-dependent tunnelling. The creation of periodically driven systems also gives rise to phenomena without static counterparts such as anomalous Floquet topological insulators. We discuss the challenges facing the field, particularly the control of heating mechanisms, which currently limit the preparation of many-body phases, as well as the potential future developments as these obstacles are overcome. The freedom to manipulate quantum gases with external fields makes them an ideal platform for studying many-body physics. Floquet engineering using time-periodic modulations has greatly expanded the range of accessible models and phenomena.

Multiscale physics of rotating detonation waves: Autosolitons and modulational instabilities.

Proposed is a phenomenological modeling framework that is capable of reproducing the diverse experimental observations of the nonlinear, combustion wave propagation in a rotating detonation engine (RDE), specifically the nucleation and formation of combustion pulses, the soliton-like interactions between these combustion fronts, and the fundamental, underlying Hopf bifurcation to time-periodic modulation of the waves. In this framework, the mode-locked structures are classified as autosolitons or stably propagating nonlinear waves where the local physics of nonlinearity, gain, and dissipation exactly balance. We find that the global dominant balance physics in the RDE combustion chamber are dissipative and multiscale in nature: The fast combustion physics provide the energy input to form the fundamental mode-locked autosoliton state, while the slow physics of exhaust and propellant recovery shape the waveform and dictate the number of autosolitons. In this manner, the global multiscale balance physics give rise to the stable structures-not exclusively the frontal dynamics prescribed by classical detonation theory. Experimental observations and numerical models of the RDE combustion chamber are in strong qualitative agreement. Moreover, numerical continuation (computational bifurcation tracking) of the RDE analog system indicates that a Hopf bifurcation of the steadily propagating pulse train leads to the fundamental instability of the RDE, or time-periodic modulation of the waves. Along branches of Hopf orbits in parameter space exist a continuum of wave-pair interactions that exhibit solitonic interactions of varying strength.