Observation of the Hopf bifurcation in parametrically driven trapped atoms

We have made a nonlinear dynamics study of a parametrically driven magneto-optical trap. When the trapping potential is modulated at around twice the trap frequency above a threshold, the limit cycle is manifested as two separate collective atomic packets oscillating with opposite phases and finite amplitudes, determined by the balance of the nonlinearity and the damping of the trap. In particular, we directly observe in situ the subcritical Hopf bifurcation, which suddenly converts the combined motions of a limit cycle and a stable attractor into a limit cycle motion. The experimental results are in quantitative agreement with the numerical results based on the simple Doppler cooling theory.