Self-trapped nonlinear matter waves in periodic potentials

Abstract

We demonstrate that the recent observation of nonlinear self-trapping of matter waves in one-dimensional optical lattices [Th. Anker et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 020403 (2005)] can be associated with a novel type of broad nonlinear state existing in the gaps of the matter-wave band-gap spectrum. We find these self-trapped localized modes in one-, two-, and three-dimensional periodic potentials, and demonstrate that such novel gap states can be generated experimentally in any dimension.