Spin-orbit-coupling induced localization in the expansion of an interacting Bose-Einstein condensate

Year: 2017

Authors: Qu CL., Pitaevskii LP., Stringari S.

Autors Affiliation: Univ Trento, INO CNR BEC Ctr, I-38123 Povo, Italy; Univ Trento, Dipartimento Fis, I-38123 Povo, Italy; Kapitza Inst Phys Problems RAS, Kosygina 2, Moscow 119334, Russia.

Abstract: By developing a hydrodynamic formalism, we investigate the expansion dynamics of the single-minimum phase of a binary spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensate, after releasing from an external harmonic trap. We find that the expansion of the condensate along the direction of the spin-orbit coupling is dramatically slowed down near the transition between the single-minimum phase and the plane-wave phase. Such a slow expansion, resembling a form of an effective localization, is due to the quenching of the superfluid motion which results in a strong increase of the effective mass. In the single-minimum phase the anisotropic expansion of the Bose gas, which is spin balanced at equilibrium, is accompanied by the emergence of a local spin polarization. Our analytic scaling solutions emerging from hydrodynamic picture are compared with a full numerical simulation based on the coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations.

Journal/Review: NEW JOURNAL OF PHYSICS

Volume: 19      Pages from: 85006-1  to: 85006-6

More Information: We would like to thank F Dalfovo and P Engels for discussions and comments. This work was supported by the QUIC grant of the Horizon2020 FET program and by Provincia Autonoma di Trento.
KeyWords: oribt coupling; Bose-Einstein condensate; localization; expansion; gas
DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/aa7e8c

Citations: 13
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