Properties of spin–orbit-coupled Bose–Einstein condensates

The experimental and theoretical research of spin–orbit-coupled ultracold atomic gases has advanced and expanded rapidly in recent years. Here, we review some of the progress that either was pioneered by our own work, has helped to lay the foundation, or has developed new and relevant techniques. After examining the experimental accessibility of all relevant spin–orbit coupling parameters, we discuss the fundamental properties and general applications of spin–orbit-coupled Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) over a wide range of physical situations. For the harmonically trapped case, we show that the ground state phase transition is a Dicke-type process and that spin–orbit-coupled BECs provide a unique platform to simulate and study the Dicke model and Dicke phase transitions. For a homogeneous BEC, we discuss the collective excitations, which have been observed experimentally using Bragg spectroscopy. They feature a roton-like minimum, the softening of which provides a potential mechanism to understand the ground state phase transition. On the other hand, if the collective dynamics are excited by a sudden quenching of the spin–orbit coupling parameters, we show that the resulting collective dynamics can be related to the famous Zitterbewegung in the relativistic realm. Finally, we discuss the case of a BEC loaded into a periodic optical potential. Here, the spin–orbit coupling generates isolated flat bands within the lowest Bloch bands whereas the nonlinearity of the system leads to dynamical instabilities of these Bloch waves. The experimental verification of this instability illustrates the lack of Galilean invariance in the system.     

Topological excitations in rotating spin–orbit-coupled spin-1 Bose–Einstein condensates with in-plane gradient magnetic field

We investigate the topological excitations of rotating spin-1 ferromagnetic Bose–Einstein condensates with spin–orbit coupling (SOC) in an in-plane quadrupole field. Such a system sustains a rich variety of exotic vortex structures due to the spinor order parameter and the interplay among in-plane quadrupole field, SOC, rotation, and interatomic interaction. For the nonrotating case, with the increase of the quadrupole field strength, the system experiences a transition from a coreless polar-core vortex with a bright soliton to a singular polar-core vortex with a density hole. Without rotation but with a fixed quadrupole field, when the SOC strength increases, the system transforms from a central Mermin–Ho vortex into a criss-crossed vortex–antivortex string lattice. For the rotating case, we give a phase diagram with respect to the quadrupole field strength and the SOC strength. It is shown that the rotating system supports four typical quantum phases: vortex necklace, diagonal vortex chain cluster, single diagonal vortex chain, and few vortex states. Furthermore, the system favors novel spin textures and skyrmion excitations including an antiskyrmion, a criss-crossed half-skyrmion–half-antiskyrmion lattice, a skyrmion-meron necklace, a symmetric half-skyrmion lattice, and an asymmetric skyrmion-meron lattice.     

Vector kink-dark complex solitons in a three-component Bose–Einstein condensate

We investigate kink-dark complex solitons(KDCSs) in a three-component Bose–Einstein condensate(BEC) with repulsive interactions and pair-transition(PT) effects. Soliton profiles critically depend on the phase differences between dark solitons excitation elements. We report a type of kink-dark soliton profile which shows a droplet-bubble-droplet with a density dip, in sharp contrast to previously studied bubble-droplets. The interaction between two KDCSs is further investigated. It demonstrates some striking particle transition behaviours during their collision processes, while soliton profiles survive after the collision. Additionally, we exhibit the state transition dynamics between a kink soliton and a dark soliton. These results suggest that PT effects can induce more abundant complex solitons dynamics in multi-component BEC.     

Trapped Bose−Einstein condensates in synthetic magnetic field

The rotational properties of Bose−Einstein condensates in a synthetic magnetic field are studied by numerically solving the Gross−Pitaevskii equation and comparing the results to those of condensates confined in a rotating trap. It appears to be more difficult to add a large angular momentum to condensates spun up by the synthetic magnetic field than by the rotating trap. However, strengthening the repulsive interaction between atoms is an effective and realizable route to overcoming this problem and can at least generate vortex-lattice-like structures. In addition, the validity of the Feynman rule for condensates in the synthetic magnetic field is verified.     

Photon condensation: A new paradigm for Bose–Einstein condensation

Bose–Einstein condensation is a state of matter known to be responsible for peculiar properties exhibited by superfluid Helium-4 and superconductors. Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) in its pure form is realizable with alkali atoms under ultra-cold temperatures. In this paper, we review the experimental scheme that demonstrates the atomic Bose–Einstein condensate. We also elaborate on the theoretical framework for atomic Bose–Einstein condensation, which includes statistical mechanics and the Gross–Pitaevskii equation. As an extension, we discuss Bose–Einstein condensation of photons realized in a fluorescent dye filled optical microcavity. We analyze this phenomenon based on the generalized Planck’s law in statistical mechanics. Further, a comparison is made between photon condensate and laser. We describe how photon condensate may be a possible alternative for lasers since it does not require an energy consuming population inversion process.     

Stable striped state in a rotating two-dimensional spin–orbit coupled spin-1/2 Bose–Einstein condensate

We consider an effective two-dimensional Bose–Einstein condensate with some spin–orbit coupling (SOC) and a rotation term in an external harmonic potential. We find the striped state, and analyze the effects of SOC, the external potential, and the rotation frequency/direction on the profile and the stability of the striped state. Without the rotation term, the two spinor components exhibit striped pattern, and the numbers of stripes in the two components are always an odd–even or an even–odd. With the increase of the SOC strength, the number of stripes in both components increases, while the difference of the striped numbers is always one. After adding the rotation term, the profiles of the spinor components change qualitatively, and the change regulation of the striped numbers differs, while the difference of the striped numbers is still one. In addition, we find that the rotation direction only makes the striped state of the two spinor components exchange each other, though the clockwise and counterclockwise rotation directions are inequivalent with the presence of SOC. Such regulation is different from the previous study. And the rotation frequency gives rise to the transition from the striped state to a mixture of the striped state and vortex state. Furthermore, we prove the stability of these states by the evolution and linear stability analysis.     

Vortex-pair states in spin-orbit-coupled Bose–Einstein condensates with coherent coupling

Three types of vortex-pair are identified in two-component Bose–Einstein condensates (BEC) of different kinds of spin-orbit coupling. One type holds the two vortices in one component of the twocomponent condensates. Both the other two types hold a vortex in each component of the twocomponent condensates, and exhibit meron-pair textures that have either null or unit topological charge, respectively. The cores of the two vortices are connected by a string of the relative phase jump. These vortex pairs can be generated from a vortex-free wave packet by incorporating different non- Abelian gauge field into the BEC. When a Rabi coupling is introduced, the distance between the two cores is effectively controlled by the Rabi coupling strength and a transition of vortex configurations is observed.     

Resonant energy transfer in Bose–Einstein condensates

We consider the dynamics of a dilute, magnetically-trapped one-dimensional Bose–Einstein condensate whose scattering length is periodically modulated with a frequency that linearly increases in time. We show that the response frequency of the condensate locks to its eigenfrequency for appropriate ranges of the parameters. The locking sets in at resonance, i.e., when the effective frequency of driving field is equal to the eigenfrequency, and is accompanied by a sudden increase of the oscillations amplitude due to resonant energy transfer. We show that the dynamics of the condensate is given, to leading order, by a driven harmonic oscillator on the time-dependent part of the width of the condensate. This equation captures accurately both the locking and the resonant energy transfer as it is evidenced by comparison with direct numerical simulations of original Gross–Pitaevskii equation.     

Decoherence effects in Bose–Einstein condensate interferometry I. General theory

The present paper outlines a basic theoretical treatment of decoherence and dephasing effects in interferometry based on single component Bose–Einstein condensates in double potential wells, where two condensate modes may be involved. Results for both two mode condensates and the simpler single mode condensate case are presented. The approach involves a hybrid phase space distribution functional method where the condensate modes are described via a truncated Wigner representation, whilst the basically unoccupied non-condensate modes are described via a positive P representation. The Hamiltonian for the system is described in terms of quantum field operators for the condensate and non-condensate modes. The functional Fokker–Planck equation for the double phase space distribution functional is derived. Equivalent Ito stochastic equations for the condensate and non-condensate fields that replace the field operators are obtained, and stochastic averages of products of these fields give the quantum correlation functions that can be used to interpret interferometry experiments. The stochastic field equations are the sum of a deterministic term obtained from the drift vector in the functional Fokker–Planck equation, and a noise field whose stochastic properties are determined from the diffusion matrix in the functional Fokker–Planck equation. The stochastic properties of the noise field terms are similar to those for Gaussian–Markov processes in that the stochastic averages of odd numbers of noise fields are zero and those for even numbers of noise field terms are the sums of products of stochastic averages associated with pairs of noise fields. However each pair is represented by an element of the diffusion matrix rather than products of the noise fields themselves, as in the case of Gaussian–Markov processes. The treatment starts from a generalised mean field theory for two condensate modes, where generalised coupled Gross–Pitaevskii equations are obtained for the modes and matrix mechanics equations are derived for the amplitudes describing possible fragmentations of the condensate between the two modes. These self-consistent sets of equations are derived via the Dirac–Frenkel variational principle. Numerical studies for interferometry experiments would involve using the solutions from the generalised mean field theory in calculations for the stochastic fields from the Ito stochastic field equations.     

Quasi-two-dimensional Bose–Einstein condensates with spatially modulated cubic–quintic nonlinearities

We investigate exact nonlinear matter wave functions with odd and even parities in the framework of quasi-two-dimensional Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) with spatially modulated cubic–quintic nonlinearities and harmonic potential. The existence condition for these exact solutions requires that the minimum energy eigenvalue of the corresponding linear Schrödinger equation with harmonic potential is the cutoff value of the chemical potential λ. The competition between two-body and three-body interactions influences the energy of the localized state. For attractive two-body and three-body interactions, the larger the matter wave order number n, the larger the energy of the corresponding localized state. A linear stability analysis and direct simulations with initial white noise demonstrate that, for the same state (fixed n), increasing the number of atoms can add stability. A quasi-stable ground-state matter wave is also found for repulsive two-body and three-body interactions. We also discuss the experimental realization of these results in future experiments. These results are of particular significance to matter wave management in higher-dimensional BECs.     

Bose−Einstein condensates with tunable spin−orbit coupling in the two-dimensional harmonic potential: The ground-state phases,stability phase diagram and collapse dynamics

We study the ground-state phases, the stability phase diagram and collapse dynamics of Bose−Einstein condensates (BECs) with tunable spin−orbit (SO) coupling in the two-dimensional harmonic potential by variational analysis and numerical simulation. Here we propose the theory that the collapse stability and collapse dynamics of BECs in the external trapping potential can be manipulated by the periodic driving of Raman coupling (RC), which can be realized experimentally. Through the high-frequency approximation, an effective time-independent Floquet Hamiltonian with two-body interaction in the harmonic potential is obtained, which results in a tunable SO coupling and a new effective two-body interaction that can be manipulated by the periodic driving strength. Using the variational method, the phase transition boundary and collapse boundary of the system are obtained analytically, where the phase transition between the spin-nonpolarized phase with zero momentum (zero momentum phase) and spin-polarized phase with non-zero momentum (plane wave phase) can be manipulated by the external driving and sensitive to the strong external trapping potential. Particularly, it is revealed that the collapsed BECs can be stabilized by periodic driving of RC, and the mechanism of collapse stability manipulated by periodic driving of RC is clearly revealed. In addition, we find that the collapse velocity and collapse time of the system can be manipulated by periodic driving strength, which also depends on the RC, SO coupling strength and external trapping potential. Finally, the variational approximation is confirmed by numerical simulation of Gross−Pitaevskii equation. Our results show that the periodic driving of RC provides a platform for manipulating the ground-state phases, collapse stability and collapse dynamics of the SO coupled BECs in an external harmonic potential, which can be realized easily in current experiments.     

Complex quantum gases: spinor Bose–Einstein condensates of trapped atomic vapors

We discuss the energy eigenstates, ground and spin mixing dynamics of a spin-1 spinor Bose–Einstein condensate for a dilute atomic vapor confined in an optical trap. Our results go beyond the mean field picture and are developed within a fully quantized framework.     

Three-dimensional Bose–Einstein condensate vortex soliton sunder optical lattice and harmonic confinements

We predict three-dimensional vortex solitons in a Bose-Einstein condensate under a complex potential which is the combination of a two-dimensional parabolic trap along the transverse radial direction and a one-dimensional optical-lattice potential along the z axis direction. The vortex solitons are built in the form of layer-chain structure made up of several fundamental vortices along the optical-lattice direction, which were not reported before in the three-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate. By using the combination of the energy density functional method with the direct numerical simulation, we find three-dimensional vortex solitons with topological charge χ=1, χ=2, and χ=3. Moreover, the macroscopic quantum tunneling and the chirp phenomena of the vortex solitons are shown in the evolution. Thereinto, the occurrence of the macroscopic quantum tunneling provides a possibility for the realization of the quantum tunneling in experiment. Specifically, we manipulate the vortex solitons along the optical lattice direction successfully. The stability limits for dragging the vortex solitons from an initial fixed position to a prescribed location are further pursued.     

Macroscopic properties of triplon Bose–Einstein condensates

Magnetic insulators can be characterized by a gap separating the singlet ground state from the lowest-energy triplet, S=1 excitation. If the gap can be closed by the Zeeman interaction in applied magnetic field, the resulting quasiparticles, triplons, can have concentrations sufficient to undergo the Bose–Einstein condensates transition. We consider macroscopic properties of the triplon Bose–Einstein condensates in the Hartree–Fock–Bogoliubov approximation taking into account the anomalous averages. We prove that these averages play the qualitative role in the condensate properties. As a result, we show that with the increase in the external magnetic field at a given temperature, the condensate demonstrates an instability related to the appearance of nonzero phonon damping and a change in the characteristic dependence of the speed of sound on the magnetic field. The calculated magnetic susceptibility diverges when the external magnetic field approaches this instability threshold, providing a tool for the experimental verification of this approach.     

Feshbach resonance management of vector solitons in two-component Bose—Einstein condensates

We consider two coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations describing a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate with time-dependent atomic interactions loaded in an external harmonic potential,and investigate the dynamics of vector solitons.By using a direct method,we construct a novel family of vector soliton solutions,which are the linear combination between dark and bright solitons in each component.Our results show that due to the superposition between dark and bright solitons,such vector solitons possess many novel and interesting properties.The dynamics of vector solitons can be controlled by the Feshbach resonance technique,and the vector solitons can keep the dynamic stability against the variation of the scattering length.     

Effective field theory for spinor dipolar Bose Einstein condensates

We show that the effective theory of long wavelength low energy behavior of a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate(BEC) with large dipole moments (treated as a classical spin) can be modeled using an extended non-linear sigma model (NLSM) like energy functional with an additional non-local term that represents long ranged anisotropic dipole-dipole interaction. Minimizing this effective energy functional we calculate the density and spin-profile of the dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate in the mean-field regime for various trapping geometries. The resulting configurations show strong intertwining between the spin and mass density of the condensate, transfer between spin and orbital angular momentum in the form of Einstein-de Hass effect, and novel topological properties. We have also described the theoretical framework in which the collective excitations around these mean field solutions can be studied and discuss some examples qualitatively.     

Rotating spin-1/2 Bose-Einstein condensates in a gradient magnetic field with spin-orbit coupling

We study the ground-state phases of two-dimensional rotating spin–orbit coupled spin-1/2 Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) in a gradient magnetic field. The competition between gradient magnetic field, spin–orbit coupling and rotation leads to a variety of ground-state phase structures. In the weakly rotation regime, as the increase of gradient magnetic field strength, the BECs experiences a phase transition from the unstable phase to the single vortex-line phase. The unstable phase presents the vortex lines structures along the off-diagonal direction. With magnetic field gradient strength increasing, the number of vortex lines changes accordingly. As the magnetic field gradient strength increases further, the single vortex-line phase with a single vortex line along the diagonal direction is formed. The phase diagram shows that the boundary between the two phases is linear with the relative repulsion λ≥1 and is nonlinear with λ<1. In the relatively strong rotation regime, in addition to the unstable phase and the single vortex-line phase, the vortex-ring phase is formed for the strong magnetic field gradient and rapid rotation. The vortex-ring phase shows the giant and hidden vortex structures at the center of ring. The strong magnetic field gradient makes the number of the vortices around the ring unchanged.     

Quantum coherence and ground-state phase transition in a four-chain Bose–Hubbard model

We study the quantum coherence and ground-state phase transition of a four-chain Bose–Hubbard model with the long-range interaction. In a special four-chain Bose–Hubbard model,i.e., each chain only has one optical potential, four types of the ground-state phases are discovered. The effects of the disorder, the on-site interaction and the long-range interaction on the quantum coherence are studied. For the system without the long-range interaction, the quantum coherence changes from one periodic oscillation to two periodic oscillations as the onsite interaction increases. By considering the long-range interaction, the quantum coherence goes back to one periodic oscillation again. The on-site interaction itself suppresses the quantum coherence, both the on-site interaction and long-range interaction together enhance the quantum coherence with the weak disorder. If the disorder strength is increased beyond a critical value,they start to suppress the quantum coherence. In a regular four-chain Bose–Hubbard model, i.e.,each chain has many optical potentials, the ground-state phase transitions are obtained by using the cluster Gutzwiller mean-field method. Exotic ground-state phases are found, i.e., superfluid phase, integer Mott insulator phase, supersolid phase and loophole insulator phase. The combination of the loophole insulator phase and the supersolid phase expands the lobes with the half-integer filling per site for the small ratio β = t_■/t_⊥.     

Influences of magnetic field on the coexistence of diquark and chiral condensates in the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model with axial anomaly

In this paper, we study the influences of magnetic fields on the coexistence of diquark and chiral condensates in an extended Nambu–Jona–Lasinio model with QCD axial anomaly, as it relates to color-flavor-locked quark matter. Due to the coupling of rotated-charged quarks to magnetic fields, diquark condensates become split, and the coexistence region is thus superseded in favor of a specific diquark Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC), denoted as the BEC_I phase. For strong magnetic fields, we find that the BEC_I transition is pushed to larger quark chemical potentials. The effect of magnetic catalysis tends to disrupt the BEC–BCS (Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer) crossover predicted in previous works. For intermediate fields, the effect of inverse magnetic catalysis is observed, and the axial-anomaly-induced phase structure is essentially unchanged.     

Formation of combined solitons in two-component Bose—Einstein condensates

<正>We investigate the combined soliton solutions of two-component Bose—Einstein condensates with external potential. The "phase diagram" is obtained for the formation regions of different combined solitons.Our results show that the intraspecies(interspecies) interaction strengths and the external trapped potential clearly affect the formation of dark-dark, bright-bright,and dark-bright soliton solutions in different regions.Especially,we find that the bright-bright (dark-dark) soliton can exist in the case of both repulsive(attractive) intraspecies interaction strengths in the presence of external potential.This novel phenomenon is completely different from the formation of soliton solution of one-component Bose-Einstein condensates without external potential,and it will be useful for the study of two-component Bose-Einstein condensates.