Quantum liquid droplets in a mixture of Bose-Einstein condensates

Abstract

Making dilute quantum droplets In recent years, quantum fluids have been studied largely in gaseous form, such as the Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) of alkali atoms and related species. Quantum liquids, other than liquid helium, have been comparatively more difficult to come by. Cabrera et al. combined two BECs and manipulated the atomic interactions to create droplets of a quantum liquid (see the Perspective by Ferrier-Barbut and Pfau). Because the interactions were not directional, the droplets had a roughly round shape. The simplicity of this dilute system makes it amenable to theoretical modeling, enabling a better understanding of quantum fluids. Science , this issue p. 301 ; see also p. 274