arXiv:2409.05828
Many-Body Dephasing by Hole Motion in a Spin-Orbit-Coupled Mott Insulator
Alexis Ghermaoui, Manel Bosch Aguilera, Raphaël Bouganne, Rémy Vatré, Isabella Fritsche, J. Beugnon, Fabrice Gerbier
Abstract
We use Ramsey interferometry to study spin dynamics in the strongly interacting regime of spin-orbit-coupled quantum gases in one-dimensional optical lattices. We observe an intrinsic many-body dephasing mechanism immune to spin-echo in two-component Mott insulators. We ascribe the dephasing to the motion of hole-like defects in an otherwise inert Mott insulator, the spinless nature of the holes explaining the ineffectiveness of spin echo to restore it. We show that a model of spin-orbit-coupled hardcore bosons can explain quantitatively our experimental observations.