Faraday Patterns in Bose-Einstein Condensates

Abstract

Temporal periodic modulation of the interatomic s-wave scattering length in Bose-Einstein condensates is shown to excite subharmonic patterns in the atom density through a parametric resonance. The dominant wavelength of the spatial structures is primarily selected by the excitation frequency but also affected by the depth of the spatial modulation via a nonlinear resonance. These phenomena represent analogues of the Faraday patterns excited in vertically vibrated liquids.