Dynamics of nonlinear excitations of helically confined charges

Abstract

We explore the long-time dynamics of a system of identical charged particles trapped on a closed helix. This system has recently been found to exhibit an unconventional deformation of the linear spectrum when tuning the helix radius. Here we show that the same geometrical parameter can affect significantly also the dynamical behaviour of an initially broad excitation for long times. In particular, for small values of the radius, the excitation disperses into the whole crystal whereas within a specific narrow regime of larger radii the excitation self-focuses, assuming finally a localized form. Beyond this regime, the excitation defocuses and the dispersion gradually increases again. We analyze this geometrically controlled nonlinear behaviour using an effective discrete nonlinear Schrödinger model, which allows us among others to identify a number of breather-like excitations.

11 pages, 7 figures

References in corpus (3)

• Nanofiber-Based Double-Helix Dipole Trap for Cold Neutral Atoms
• Self-organized escape of oscillator chains in nonlinear potentials
• Degeneracy and Inversion of Band Structure for Wigner Crystals on a Toroidal Helix

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• Electrostatic bending response of a charged helix
• Quantum few-body bound states of dipolar particles in a helical geometry
• Pinned-to-sliding transition and structural crossovers for helically confined charges
• Local equilibria and state transfer of charged classical particles on a helix in an electric field
• Quantum single-particle properties in a one-dimensional curved space
• Tunable Order of Helically Confined Charges
• External field-induced dynamics of a charged particle on a closed helix
• Driven toroidal helix as a generalization of Kapitzas pendulum
• Formation and crossover of multiple helical dipole chains
• Long-Range Interacting Particles on a Helix: A Statistical and Correlation Analysis of Equilibrium Configurations