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arXiv:2411.01590 · Physical Review A

Vortex phases and domain walls in trapped spinor Bose-Einstein condensates with inhomogeneous spin-orbital-angular-momentum coupling

O. O. Prikhodko, L. V. Zadorozhna

Published May 6, 2025• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We investigate the ground-state structures and vortex configurations in a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate under the influence of spin-orbital-angular-momentum coupling (SOAMC) with a high spatial inhomogeneity and high characteristic orbital angular momentum. By modulating the coupling strength, we uncover two distinct quantum phases: a stripe phase at low coupling strengths and a new vortex-necklace phase at higher coupling intensities. The latter is characterized by vortices forming a ring-shaped structure that acts as a domain wall, a unique phase boundary between a central stripe phase and an outer single-momentum phase. For a better understanding of this new mixed phase of the system, we develop an analytical model to describe the domain-wall radius as a function of coupling strength, which aligns well with numerical simulations. Our findings contribute to the understanding of SOAMC-driven quantum phase transitions and domain-wall formation, offering new insights into topological phenomena in ultracold atomic systems.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.111.053303

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An effective spin-orbit coupling can be generated in a cold atom system by engineering atom-light interactions. In this Letter we study spin-1/2 and spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensates with Rashba spin-orbit coupling, and find that the condensate wave function will develop nontrivial structures. From numerical simulation we have identified two different phases. In one phase the ground state is a single plane wave, and often we find the system splits into domains and an array of vortices plays the role of a domain wall. In this phase, time-reversal symmetry is broken. In the other phase the condensate wave function is a standing wave, and it forms a spin stripe. The transition between them is driven by interactions between bosons. We also provide an analytical understanding of these results and determine the transition point between the two phases.