Bose-Einstein condensates in multiple well potentials from a variational path integral

Abstract

We apply a path integral variational approach to obtain analytical expressions for condensate wave functions of an ultracold, interacting trapped Bose gases. As in many recent experiments, the particles are confined in a 1D or 3D harmonic oscillator trap which is superimposed by a periodic potential in one direction. Based on the first order cumulant expansion with respect to a harmonic trial action, and emplyoing a mean-field approximation, optimal variational parameters are obtained by minimizing an analytical expression for the ground state energy. Our largely analytical results for energy and condensate wave function are in good agreement with fully numerical calculations based on the Gross-Pitaevskii equation.