This is a 3D rendering of a matter-wave soliton train, a succession of special waves made of self-attracting ultracold atoms. Each peak in the train is a Bose-Einstein condensate, a localized collection of atoms cooled to nearly absolute zero temperature. Solitons are unusual bundles of waves, constrained to move in only one dimension. Perhaps the most striking feature of solitons is that they propagate without spreading; ordinary waves spread out and lose their original shape as they propagate. Solitons have been observed in many wave phenomena, such as the motion of water waves in narrow canals, and light pulses in optical fibers. Advanced optical communications systems employ solitons because ordinary light pulses spread and require frequent signal boosters. The atom-wave solitons shown in the figure may someday be useful for an atom laser.
Reported by: K.E. Strecker, G. Partridge, A.G. Truscott , and R.G. Hulet, Nature, 9 May 2002; advance online publication, 1 May 2002 (DOI 10.1038/nature747).
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