Type: Article
Publication Date: 2014-06-09
Citations: 34
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.89.063608
We investigate dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates in a complex external double-well potential that features combined parity and time-reversal symmetry. On the basis of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation we study the effects of the long-ranged anisotropic dipole-dipole interaction on ground and excited states by the use of a time-dependent variational approach. We show that the property of a similar nondipolar condensate of possessing real energy eigenvalues in certain parameter ranges is preserved despite the inclusion of this nonlinear interaction. Furthermore, we present states that break the $\mathcal{PT}$ symmetry and investigate the stability of the distinct stationary solutions. In our dynamical simulations we reveal a complex stabilization mechanism for $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric as well as for $\mathcal{PT}$-broken states which are, in principle, unstable with respect to small perturbations.