Dynamics of Spin-2 Bose-Einstein Condensates

We numerically simulate the dynamics of a spin-2 Bose-Einstein condensate. We find that the initial phase plays an important role in the spin component oscillations. The spin mixing processes can fully cancel out due to quantum interference when taking some initial special phase. In all the spin mixing processes, the total spin is conversed. When the initial population is mainly occupied by a component with the maximal or minimal magnetic quantum number, the oscillations of spin components cannot happen due to the total spin conversation. The presence of quadratic Zeeman energy terms suppresses some spin mixing processes so that the oscillations of spin components are suppressed in some initial spin configuration. However, the linear Zeeman energy terms have no effects on the spin mixing processes.