Transition from resonances to bound states in nonlinear systems: Application to Bose-Einstein condensates

It is shown using the Gross-Pitaevskii equation that resonance states of Bose-Einstein condensates with attractive interactions can be stabilized into true bound states. A semiclassical variational approximation and an independent quantum variational numerical method are used to calculate the energies (chemical potentials) and linewidths of resonances of the time-independent Gross-Pitaevskii equation; both methods produce similar results. Borders between the regimes of resonances, bound states and, in two and three dimensions, collapse are identified.