Bose-Einstein condensates with 1/r interatomic attraction: electromagnetically induced "gravity"

Phys Rev Lett. 2000 Jun 19;84(25):5687-90. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.84.5687.

Abstract

We show that particular configurations of intense off-resonant laser beams can give rise to an attractive 1/r interatomic potential between atoms located well within the laser wavelength. Such a "gravitational-like" interaction is shown to give stable Bose-Einstein condensates that are self-bound (without an additional trap) with unique scaling properties and measurably distinct signatures.