A Parity-Time (PT)-symmetric system with periodically varying-in-time gain and loss modeled by two coupled Schrodinger equations (dimer) is studied. It is shown that the problem can be reduced to a perturbed pendulum-like equation. This is done by fi
nding two constants of motion. Firstly, a generalized problem using Melnikov type analysis and topological degree arguments is studied for showing the existence of periodic (libration), shift periodic (rotation), and chaotic solutions. Then these general results are applied to the PT-symmetric dimer. It is interestingly shown that if a sufficient condition is satisfied, then rotation modes, which do not exist in the dimer with constant gain-loss, will persist. An approximate threshold for PT-broken phase corresponding to the disappearance of bounded solutions is also presented. Numerical study is presented accompanying the analytical results.
The coupled discrete linear and Kerr nonlinear Schrodinger equations with gain and loss describing transport on dimers with parity-time PT symmetric potentials are considered. The model is relevant among others to experiments in optical couplers and
proposals on Bose-Einstein condensates in PT symmetric double-well potentials. It is known that the models are integrable. Here, the integrability is exploited further to construct the phase-portraits of the system. A pendulum equation with a linear potential and a constant force for the phase-difference between the fields is obtained, which explains the presence of unbounded solutions above a critical threshold parameter. The behaviour of all solutions of the system, including changes in the topological structure of the phase-plane, is then discussed.
We consider propagating, spatially localised waves in a class of equations that contain variational and non-variational terms. The dynamics of the waves is analysed through a collective coordinate approach. Motivated by the variational approximation,
we show that there is a natural choice of projection onto collective variables for reducing the governing (nonlinear) partial differential equation (PDE) to coupled ordinary differential equations (ODEs). This projection produces ODEs whose solutions are exactly the stationary states of the effective Lagrangian that would be considered from applying the variational approximation method. We illustrate our approach by applying it to a modified Fisher equation for a travelling front, containing a non-constant-coefficient nonlinear term. We present numerical results that show that our proposed projection captures both the equilibria and the dynamics of the PDE much more closely than previously proposed projections.
We investigate numerically parametrically driven coupled nonlinear Schrodinger equations modelling the dynamics of coupled wavefields in a periodically oscillating double-well potential. The equations describe among other things two coupled periodica
lly-curved optical waveguides with Kerr nonlinearity or horizontally shaken Bose-Einstein condensates in a double-well magnetic trap. In particular, we study the persistence of equilibrium states of the undriven system due to the presence of the parametric drive. Using numerical continuations of periodic orbits and calculating the corresponding Floquet multipliers, we find that the drive can (de)stabilize a continuation of an equilibrium state indicated by the change of the (in)stability of the orbit. Hence, we show that parametric drives can provide a powerful control to nonlinear (optical or matter wave) field tunneling. Analytical approximations based on an averaging method are presented. Using perturbation theory the influence of the drive on the symmetry breaking bifurcation point is discussed.
A periodically inhomogeneous Schrodinger equation is considered. The inhomogeneity is reflected through a non-uniform coefficient of the linear and non-linear term in the equation. Due to the periodic inhomogeneity of the linear term, the system may
admit spectral bands. When the oscillation frequency of a localized solution resides in one of the finite band gaps, the solution is a gap soliton, characterized by the presence of infinitely many zeros in the spatial profile of the soliton. Recently, how to construct such gap solitons through a composite phase portrait is shown. By exploiting the phase-space method and combining it with the application of a topological argument, it is shown that the instability of a gap soliton can be described by the phase portrait of the solution. Surface gap solitons at the interface between a periodic inhomogeneous and a homogeneous medium are also discussed. Numerical calculations are presented accompanying the analytical results.
We study the dynamics of matter waves in an effectively one-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate in a double well potential. We consider in particular the case when one of the double wells confines excited states. Similarly to the known ground state
oscillations, the states can tunnel between the wells experiencing the physics known for electrons in a Josephson junction, or be self-trapped. As the existence of dark solitons in a harmonic trap are continuations of such non-ground state excitations, one can view the Josephson-like oscillations as tunnelings of dark solitons. Numerical existence and stability analysis based on the full equation is performed, where it is shown that such tunneling can be stable. Through a numerical path following method, unstable tunneling is also obtained in different parameter regions. A coupled-mode system is derived and compared to the numerical observations. Regions of (in)stability of Josephson tunneling are discussed and highlighted. Finally, we outline an experimental scheme designed to explore such dark soliton dynamics in the laboratory.
