Counterpropagating Matter Waves in Optical Lattices

An investigation of Bose-Einstein condensate in two-dimensional optical lattice potentials, formed by laser beams, is carried out. We are interested in the dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensate in a square optical lattice, where the periodic potential can lead to the stabilization of an otherwise unstable Bose-Einstein condensate. The behavior of Bose-Einstein condensate in optical lattices is described by the nonlinear Gross-Pitaevskii equation, which we treat numerically. By applying the Petviashvili iteration method, we demonstrate the existence of solitonic solutions in the case of counterpropagating matter waves, and analyze their stability.