arXiv:1503.01171 · Physical Review A
Coherent spin-mixing dynamics in thermal Rb87 spin-1 and spin-2 gases
Xiaodong He, Bing Zhu, Xiaoke Li, Fudong Wang, Zhi-Fang Xu, Dajun Wang
Abstract
We study the nonequilibrium coherent spin-mixing dynamics in ferromagnetic spin-1 and antiferromagnetic spin-2 thermal gases of ultracold $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ atoms. Long-lasting spin population oscillations with magnetic-field-dependent resonances are observed in both cases. Our observations are well reproduced by Boltzmann equations of the Wigner distribution function. Compared to the equation of motion of spinor Bose-Einstein condensates, the only difference here is a factor-of-2 increase in the spin-dependent interaction, which is confirmed directly in the spin-2 case by measuring the relation between the oscillation amplitude and the sample's density.