Co-propagating Bose-Einstein condensates and electromagnetic radiation: formation of mutually localized structures

Journal article, 2010

A semi-classical model is derived for describing the interaction between coherent electromagnetic radiation and a Bose-Einstein condensate in the limit of zero temperature, including the back action of the atoms on the radiation. This model is used to analyse the problem of the self-consistent evolution of a laser beam and a BEC atomic beam. The mutual propagation is studied numerically and demonstrates not only the possibility of a stationary regime of mutual guiding, but also of generating a collapse-like phenomenon.