https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2009-00216-2
Metastable state and macroscopic quantum tunneling of binary mixtures
1
Department of Physics, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, Hunan, P.R. China
2
Institute of Modern Physics, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, Hunan, P.R. China
Corresponding author: a tang_yii@yahoo.cn
Received:
4
December
2008
Revised:
19
March
2009
Published online:
23
June
2009
We provide a mixing model to explore the metastable state
and the macroscopic quantum tunneling (MQT) of binary mixtures. For 
, we first observe the two condensates form the
symmetry-breaking state (SBS) and then suddenly transfer to the
symmetry-preserving state (SPS) through the MQT. The SBS is shown to be the
metastable state in our system. We find the MQT does not spontaneously
arise. The inducement mechanism is the damping but not the excitations. The
damping mechanism can also control the lifetime and the tunneling decay rate
of the SBS. Finally, we further present the origin of these phenomena by
examining the energy of the system.
PACS: 03.75.Mn – Multicomponent condensates; spinor condensates / 03.75.Lm – Tunneling, Josephson effect, Bose-Einstein condensates in periodic potentials, solitons, vortices, and topological excitations / 05.30.Jp – Boson systems / 67.85.De – Dynamic properties of condensates; excitations, and superfluid flow
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2009
