Density modulations of Bose-Einstein condensates via laser-induced interactions

A quasi-one-dimensional regime of self-confined and self-organized ground state density modulations was demonstrated in a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). The condensate was illuminated by a single, circularly polarized laser beam in the weak-saturation limit. It was predicted that induced dipole-dipole forces caused a density modulation for the condensate ground state. It was shown that in the case of a single plane-wave, far-off -resonant laser beam, a BEC could be self-bound by electrostriction due to the retarded behavior of the induced dipole-dipole interaction.