We show that static and oscillating photon bubbles can be excited by diffused light in the laser cooled matter confined in a magneto-optical trap. The bubble instability is due to the coupling between the radiation field and the mean field oscillations of the ultracold gas, and it can provide a source for low frequency turbulence. We consider a diffusion-dominated regime, which can be described by a radiation transport equation, coupled with the mean field equations for the cold atom gas. A perturbative analysis shows the occurrence of two different regimes with either oscillating or purely growing bubbles. This work could also be useful to understand similar processes in astrophysics.
© 2012 American Physical Society