Quantum phase-space picture of Bose-Einstein condensates in a double well

We present a quantum phase-space model of the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in a double-well potential. In a quantum two-mode approximation we examine the eigenvectors and eigenvalues and find that the energy correlation diagram indicates a transition from a delocalized to a fragmented regime. Phase-space information is extracted from the stationary quantum states using the Husimi distribution function. We show that the mean-field phase-space characteristics of a nonrigid physical pendulum arises from the exact quantum states, and that only 4–8 particles per well are needed to reach the semiclassical limit. For a driven double-well BEC, we show that the classical chaotic dynamics is manifest in the dynamics of the quantum states. Phase-space analogy also suggests that a π phase-displaced wave packet put on the unstable fixed point on a separatrix bifurcates to create a superposition of two pendulum rotor states—a macroscopic superposition state of BEC. We show that the choice of initial barrier height and ramping, following a π phase imprinting on the condensate, can be used to generate controlled entangled number states with tunable extremity and sharpness.