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arXiv:1502.04722 · Physical Review A

Stueckelberg interferometry using periodically driven spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates

Abraham J. Olson, David Blasing, Chunlei Qu, Chuan-Hsun Li, Robert Niffenegger, Chuanwei Zhang, Yong P. Chen

Published Apr 19, 2017• 14 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We study the single-particle dispersion of a spin-orbit-coupled (SOC) Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) under the periodical modulation of the Raman coupling. This modulation introduces a further coupling of the SOC dressed eigenlevels, thus creating a second generation of modulation-dressed eigenlevels. Theoretical calculations show that these modulation-dressed eigenlevels feature a pair of avoided crossings and a richer spin-momentum locking, which we observe using BEC transport measurements. Furthermore, we use the pair of avoided crossings to engineer a tunable Stueckelberg interferometer that gives interference fringes in the spin polarization of BECs.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.95.043623

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We study the single-particle dispersion of a spin-orbit-coupled (SOC) Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) under the periodical modulation of the Raman coupling. This modulation introduces a further coupling of the SOC dressed eigenlevels, thus creating a second generation of modulation-dressed eigenlevels. Theoretical calculations show that these modulation-dressed eigenlevels feature a pair of avoided crossings and a richer spin-momentum locking, which we observe using BEC transport measurements. Furthermore, we use the pair of avoided crossings to engineer a tunable Stueckelberg interferometer that gives interference fringes in the spin polarization of BECs.
We theoretically study the ground-state phases and superfluidity of tunable spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) under the periodic driving of Raman coupling. An effective time-independent Floquet Hamiltonian is proposed by using a high-frequency approximation, and we find single-particle dispersion, spin-orbit-coupling, and asymmetrical nonlinear two-body interaction can be modulated effectively by the periodic driving. The critical Raman coupling characterizing the phase transition and relevant physical quantities in three different phases (the stripe phase, plane-wave phase, and zero momentum phase) are obtained analytically. Our results indicate that the boundary of ground-state phases can be controlled and the system will undergo three different phase transitions by adjusting the external driving. Interestingly, we find the contrast of the stripe density can be enhanced by the periodic driving in the stripe phase. We also study the superfluidity of tunable spin-orbit-coupled BECs and find the dynamical instability can be tuned by the periodic driving of Raman coupling. Furthermore, the sound velocity of the ground-state and superfluidity state can be controlled effectively by tuning the periodic driving strength. Our results indicate that the periodic driving of Raman coupling provides a powerful tool to manipulate the ground-state phase transition and dynamical instability of spin-orbit-coupled BECs.
Understanding the effects of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and many-body interactions on spin transport is important in condensed matter physics and spintronics. This topic has been intensively studied for spin carriers such as electrons but barely explored for charge-neutral bosonic quasiparticles (including their condensates), which hold promises for coherent spin transport over macroscopic distances. Here, we explore the effects of synthetic SOC (induced by optical Raman coupling) and atomic interactions on the spin transport in an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), where the spin-dipole mode (SDM, actuated by quenching the Raman coupling) of two interacting spin components constitutes an alternating spin current. We experimentally observe that SOC significantly enhances the SDM damping while reducing the thermalization (the reduction of the condensate fraction). We also observe generation of BEC collective excitations such as shape oscillations. Our theory reveals that the SOC-modified interference, immiscibility, and interaction between the spin components can play crucial roles in spin transport.
Spin-orbit coupling (SOC), the intrinsic interaction between a particle spin and its motion, is responsible for various important phenomena, ranging from atomic fine structure to topological condensed matter physics. The recent experimental breakthrough on the realization of SOC for ultra-cold atoms provides a completely new platform for exploring spin-orbit coupled superfluid physics. However, the SOC strength in the experiment is not tunable. In this report, we propose a scheme for tuning the SOC strength through a fast and coherent modulation of the laser intensities. We show that the many-body interaction between atoms, together with the tunable SOC, can drive a quantum phase transition (QPT) from spin-balanced to spin-polarized ground states in a harmonic trapped Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), which resembles the long-sought Dicke QPT. We characterize the QPT using the periods of collective oscillations of the BEC, which show pronounced peaks and damping around the quantum critical point.
Abstract Understanding the effects of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and many-body interactions on spin transport is important in condensed matter physics and spintronics. This topic has been intensively studied for spin carriers such as electrons but barely explored for charge-neutral bosonic quasiparticles (including their condensates), which hold promises for coherent spin transport over macroscopic distances. Here, we explore the effects of synthetic SOC (induced by optical Raman coupling) and atomic interactions on the spin transport in an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), where the spin-dipole mode (SDM, actuated by quenching the Raman coupling) of two interacting spin components constitutes an alternating spin current. We experimentally observe that SOC significantly enhances the SDM damping while reducing the thermalization (the reduction of the condensate fraction). We also observe generation of BEC collective excitations such as shape oscillations. Our theory reveals that the SOC-modified interference, immiscibility, and interaction between the spin components can play crucial roles in spin transport.
In this thesis I will describe my experiments to study spin transport of spin Bose Einstein Condensates (BECs) with synthetic spin-orbit coupling. First I will describe procedures used to reproduce previous experiments with synthetic gauge fields in Bose-Einstein Condensates, from constant vector potentials to synthetic electric fields and synthetic spin-orbit coupling as well as all of the necessary calibration experiments. Next I will describe new experiments measuring spin transport induced by synthetic spin-dependent electric fields in spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein Condensates (BECs). The one dimensional (1D) spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is created with counter propagating Raman lasers which couple hyperfine sub-levels and momentum states of 87Rb, allowing us to engineer spin dependent vector potentials. Quickly lowering the Raman laser intensity, decreases the spin-orbit Raman coupling strength (Ω), separates the spin vector potentials and applies opposite synthetic electric fields to the two dressed spin BECs. We allow them to oscillate in opposite directions within the optical trap (exhibiting a spin dipole mode) and measure the time evolution of their momentum and density after time-of-flight (TOF). The damping of the oscillations as the spin BECs collide is found to drastically increase for larger final Raman coupling. Over longer time scales, the bare spins' oscillations damp and thermalize. However, with Raman coupling, dressed spins' oscillations are overdamped and accompanied by rich excitations in the BEC but less thermalization.
Abstract We investigate the modulation instability (MI) of plane-wave states in a spin–orbit-coupled spin-1 Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC). The MI of the system can be adjusted by the intensities of the spin–orbit coupling (SOC), Raman coupling and atom–atom interactions. Our analysis shows that the MI of a system without the SOC and Raman coupling mainly occurs for repulsive density–density and spin–exchange interactions due to the combined effects coming from both of them. But when considering the SOC, a multi-peak structure appears in the momentum distribution for the instability, which may be thought of as a precursor to the generation of the stripe-type nonlinear excitations in such systems. The MI becomes more remarkable with increasing intensity of Raman coupling. In addition, the SOC inevitably contributes to the instability for the ternary superfluid regardless of the nature of the density–density and spin–exchange interactions.