Rabi-coupling-induced three-component quantum droplet in ultracold Bose gases
Phys. Rev. A 114, 023324 – Published 27 August, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/szq4-nd65
Abstract
We uncover a mechanism for realizing three-component quantum droplets in ultracold Bose gases, where only one interspecies interaction is attractive. In this scheme, the interspecies attraction leads to a self-bound binary droplet, and the third component is incorporated through Rabi coupling with one component of the binary droplet. We find that a stronger Rabi coupling leads to a larger fraction of the third component, but also destabilizes the entire droplet due to the involvement of more repulsive forces. Such instability can be remedied by a finite detuning between the Rabi-coupled components. We demonstrate these results in realistic Na-Rb mixtures, using both thermodynamic analyses and numerical simulations based on extended Gross-Pitaevskii equations. Our work outlines a general route for stabilizing multicomponent droplets by bridging an existing binary droplet with additional components via suitable single-particle fields.