Collective focusing and modulational instability of light and cold atoms

Abstract

A self-consistent model for the coupled dynamics of cold atoms and near-resonant light fields is formulated. The model is shown to predict several novel phenomena, including collective self-focusing of light and atoms, stable dissipative atom-optical solitons and modulational instability under conditions of optical self-defocusing. Experimental studies using cold Cs atoms in a magneto-optical trap suggest the presence of atomic modulational instability. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.