Isotropic Spin-orbit Coupling Research Articles

Quantum-fluctuation-induced superfluid density in two-dimensional spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates

We study a two-dimensional spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ interacting Bose-Einstein condensate with a Rashba-Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling. The analytical expression of the superfluid density is derived from the linear response theory and Bogoliubov approximation. We find that the superfluid density can be divided into three terms, which originate from the condensate, the interaction between the condensate and the Bogoliubov excitations, and only the excitations. We show that the condensate-excitation interaction changes the bare mass in the superfluid density into the effective mass. In the isotropic spin-orbit coupling limit, the effective mass diverges, and the superfluid density is predicted to be zero within previous studies; however, our work shows that the excitation-induced superfluid density remains nonzero, which means that quantum fluctuations rescue the superfluidity. Our results show the importance of the quantum fluctuations in understanding the superfluid properties of spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates.

Anisotropy of the spin-orbit coupling driven by a magnetic field in InAs nanowires

We use the $\mathbf{k} \cdot \mathbf{p}$ theory and the envelope function approach to evaluate the Rashba spin-orbit coupling induced in a semiconductor nanowire by a magnetic field at different orientations, taking explicitely into account the prismatic symmetry of typical nano-crystals. We make the case for the strongly spin-orbit-coupled InAs semiconductor nanowires and investigate the anisotropy of the spin-orbit constant with respect to the field direction. At sufficiently high magnetic fields perpendicular to the nanowire, a 6-fold anisotropy results from the interplay between the orbital effect of field and the prismatic symmetry of the nanowire. A back-gate potential, breaking the native symmetry of the nano-crystal, couples to the magnetic field inducing a 2-fold anisotropy, with the spin-orbit coupling being maximized or minimized depending on the relative orientation of the two fields. We also investigate in-wire field configurations, which shows a trivial 2-fold symmetry when the field is rotated off the axis. However, isotropic spin-orbit coupling is restored if a sufficiently high gate potential is applied. Our calculations are shown to agree with recent experimental analysis of the vectorial character of the spin-orbit coupling for the same nanomaterial, providing a microscopic interpretation of the latter.

Metallic state in bosonic systems with continuously degenerate dispersion minima

In systems above one dimension a continuously degenerate minimum of the single particle dispersion is realized due to one or a combination of system-parameters such as lattice structure, isotropic spin-orbit coupling, and interactions. A unit codimension of the dispersion-minima leads to a divergent density of states which enhances the effects of interactions, and may lead to novel states of matter as exemplified by Luttinger liquids in one dimensional bosonic systems. Here we show that in dilute, homogeneous bosonic systems above one dimension, weak, spin-independent, inter-particle interactions stabilize a metallic state at zero temperature in the presence of a curved manifold of dispersion minima. In this metallic phase the system possesses a quasi long-range order with non-universal scaling exponents. At a fixed positive curvature of the manifold, increasing either the dilution or the interaction strength destabilizes the metallic state towards charge density wave states that break one or more symmetries. The magnitude of the wave vector of the dominant charge density wave state is controlled by the product of the mean density of bosons and the curvature of the manifold. We obtain the zero temperature phase diagram, and identify the phase boundary.

Ring phases of spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensate in the radial optical lattices

We study the ground-state phases of two-dimensional spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensate loaded in the spin-dependent radial optical lattices. For strong depth of the spin-dependent radial optical lattice, three new types of the ring phases are found with isotropic spin-orbit coupling, i.e., the ring-stripe phase with the periodic density modulation along the radial direction, the ring-supersolid phase with the periodic density modulation both the radial and azimuthal directions and the windmill-supersolid phase with four vanes along the azimuthal direction. By increasing spin-orbit coupling, the system undergoes a sequence phase transitions from the ring-stripe phase to the ring-sueprsolid phase, and to the windmill-supersolid phase for the weak depth of radial optical lattice, however, the ring-stripe phase transforms to the windmill-supersolid phase directly for the strong depth of radial optical lattice. We also discuss the ground-state phases with anisotropic spin-orbit coupling, two-component Bose-Einstein condensates are easier condensed along the direction with larger spin-orbit coupling.

Ultracold collisions between spin-orbit-coupled dipoles: General formalism and universality

A theoretical study of the low-energy scattering properties of two aligned identical bosonic and fermionic dipoles in the presence of isotropic spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is presented. A general treatment of particles with arbitrary (pseudo-) spin is given in the framework of multi-channel scattering. At ultracold temperatures and away from shape resonances or closed-channel dominated resonances, the cross-section can be well described within the Born approximation to within corrections due to the s-wave scattering. We compare our findings with numerical calculations and find excellent agreement.

Ground state of spin-orbit coupled rotating two-component Bose-Einstein condensate in gradient magnetic field

Two-component Bose-Einstein condensate offers an ideal platform for investigating many intriguing topological defects due to the interplay between intraspecies and interspecies interactions. The recent realization of spin-orbit coupling in two-component Bose-Einstein condensate, owing to coupling between the spin and the centre-of-mass motion of the atom, provides possibly new opportunities to search for novel quantum states. In particular, the gradient magnetic field in the Bose-Einstein condensate has brought a new way to create topologically nontrivial structures including Dirac monopoles and quantum knots. Previous studies of the gradient magnetic field effect in the Bose-Einstein condensate mainly focused on the three-component case. However, it remains unclear how the gradient magnetic field affects the ground state configuration in the rotating two-component Bose-Einstein condensate with spin-orbit coupling. In this work, by using quasi two-dimensional Gross-Pitaevskii equations, we study the ground state structure of a rotating two-component Bose-Einstein condensate with spin-orbit coupling and gradient magnetic field. We concentrate on the effects of the spin-orbit coupling and the gradient magnetic field on the ground state. The numerical results show that increasing the strength of the spin-orbit coupling can induce a phase transition from skyrmion lattice to skyrmion chain in the presence of the gradient magnetic field. Unlike the study of skyrmion in rotating two-component Bose-Einstein condensate with only spin-orbit coupling, the skyrmion chain can occur under the isotropic spin-orbit coupling when the gradient magnetic field is considered. It is worth noting that the skyrmion chain here is arrayed along the diagonal direction. Next we examine the effect of the gradient magnetic field on spin-orbit coupled two-component Bose-Einstein condensate. For the case of weak spin-orbit coupling and the slow rotation, a phase transition from a single plane-wave to half-skyrmion is found through increasing magnetic field gradient strength. For the case of strong spin-orbit coupling and the fast rotation, the nature of the ground state is shown to support the formation of a hidden vortex as the gradient magnetic field is enhanced. These hidden vortices have no visible cores in density distributions but have phase singularities in phase distributions, which are arrayed along the diagonal direction. This result confirms a new method of creating the hidden vortices in the two-component Bose-Einstein condensate. These topological structures can be detected by using the time-of-flight absorption imaging technique. Our results illustrate that the gradient magnetic field not only provides an opportunity to explore the exotic topological structures in spin-orbit coupled spinor Bose-Einstein condensate, but also is crucial for realizing the phase transitions among different ground states. This work paves the way for the future exploring of topological defect and the corresponding dynamical stability in quantum systems subjected to a gradient magnetic field.

Spin-orbit coupling stabilizing half-quantum spin defect in spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensates

Quantum topological defects usually are excited on density. In this study, we extend the topological defect to another dimensionality: the spin. We indicate that the spin singularity, where the spin density |S| vanishes locally, occurs commonly in the two-dimensional spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensates. We assume a coreless half-quantum vortex solution in the spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensates according to the spin singularity. This half-quantum vortex can further induce a half-quantum spin defect, which is similar to the general half-quantum Skyrmion but its centre proposes singularity on the spin density. We use the variational method to obtain a possible stable solution under the combined interaction of the spin-orbit coupling and the external magnetic field. Our calculation shows that the isotropic spin-orbit coupling provides local energy minimum to stabilize the coreless half-quantum vortex and the corresponding singular half-quantum spin texture excitation. The combined restriction of the isotropic spin-orbit coupling and the perpendicular magnetic field is a key factor to obtain this kind of excitation. Our study also provides the stability phase diagram and the most possible size of the half-quantum vortex. Furthermore, our analysis shows that adjusting of the spin interaction hardly affects the stability of the half-quantum vortex.

Vortex states and spin textures of rotating spin–orbit-coupled Bose–Einstein condensates in a toroidal trap

We consider the ground-state properties of Rashba spin–orbit-coupled pseudo-spin-1/2 Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) in a rotating two-dimensional (2D) toroidal trap. In the absence of spin–orbit coupling (SOC), the increasing rotation frequency enhances the creation of giant vortices for the initially miscible BECs, while it can lead to the formation of semiring density patterns with irregular hidden vortex structures for the initially immiscible BECs. Without rotation, strong 2D isotropic SOC yields a heliciform-stripe phase for the initially immiscible BECs. Combined effects of rotation, SOC, and interatomic interactions on the vortex structures and typical spin textures of the ground state of the system are discussed systematically. In particular, for a fixed rotation frequency above the critical value, the increasing isotropic SOC favors a visible vortex necklace in each component which is accompanied by a hidden giant vortex plus a (several) hidden vortex necklace(s) in the central region. In the case of one-dimensional anisotropic SOC, large SOC strength results in the generation of hidden linear vortex string and the transition from initial component separation (component mixing) to component mixing (component separation). Furthermore, the peculiar spin textures including skyrmion lattice, skyrmion pair and skyrmion string are revealed in this system.

Supersolid phases in Bose gases with three-dimensional spin–orbit coupling

We investigate the ground state phases of the two-component Bose–Einstein condensates with three-dimensional Weyl-type spin–orbit coupling (SOC) loaded in a cubic optical lattice. The single-particle lowest energy band exhibits one, two or four pairs of degenerate ground states depending on the configuration of the SOC. We find two types of the supersolid (SS) phases with the isotropic SOC, and the SS phases are signaled by the momentum peaks distribution. We also discuss the spin textures of the SS phases, the spin vectors consist alternatively of two sets of continuous textures at the even and the odd lattice sites.

Finite-temperature phases of two-dimensional spin-orbit-coupled bosons

We determine the finite temperature phase diagram of two dimensional bosons with two hyperfine (pseudo-spin) states coupled via Rashba-Dresselhaus spin-orbit interaction using classical field Monte Carlo calculations. For anisotropic spin-orbit coupling, we find a transition to a Berenzinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless superfluid phase with quasi-long range order. We show that the spin-order of the quasi-condensate is driven by the anisotropy of interparticle interaction, favoring either a homogeneous plane wave state or stripe phase with broken translational symmetry. Both phases show characteristic behavior in the algebraically decaying spin density correlation function. For fully isotropic interparticle interaction, our calculations indicate a fractionalized quasi-condensate where the mean-field degeneracy of plane wave and stripe phase remains robust against critical fluctuations. In the case of fully isotropic spin-orbit coupling, the circular degeneracy of the single particle ground state destroys the algebraic ordered phase in the thermodynamic limit, but a cross-over remains for finite size systems.

Multichannel molecular state and rectified short-range boundary condition for spin-orbit-coupled ultracold fermions near p -wave resonances

We study the interplay of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and strong $p$-wave interactions to the scattering property of spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ ultracold Fermi gases. Based on a two-channel square-well potential generating $p$-wave resonance, we show that the presence of an isotropic SOC, even for its length being much longer than the potential range, can greatly modify the $p$-wave short-range boundary condition (BC). As a result, the conventional $p$-wave BC cannot predict the induced molecules near $p$-wave resonances, which can be fully destroyed due to strong interference between the $s$- and $p$-wave channels. By analyzing the intrinsic reasons for the breakdown of the conventional BC, we propose a $p$-wave BC that can excellently reproduce the exact molecule solutions and also equally apply for a wide class of single-particle potentials besides SOC. This work reveals the significant effect of SOC on both the short- and long-range properties of fermions near $p$-wave resonances, paving the way for future explorations of interesting few- and many-body physics in such systems.

Analytical coupled-channel treatment of two-body scattering in the presence of three-dimensional isotropic spin-orbit coupling

It is shown that the single-particle spin-orbit coupling terms, which---in the cold atom context---are associated with synthetic gauge fields, can significantly and non-trivially modify the phase accumulation at small interparticle distances even if the length scale $(k_{\text{so}})^{-1}$ associated with the spin-orbit coupling term is significantly larger than the van der Waals length $r_{\text{vdW}}$ that characterizes the two-body interaction potential. A theoretical framework, which utilizes a generalized local frame transformation and accounts for the phase accumulation analytically, is developed. Comparison with numerical coupled-channels calculations demonstrates that the phase accumulation can, to a very good approximation, be described over a wide range of energies by the free-space scattering phase shifts---evaluated at a scattering energy that depends on $k_{\text{so}}$---and the spin-orbit coupling strength $k_{\text{so}}$.

Variational study of phase diagrams of spin–orbit coupled bosons

We use a variational order method to explore the ground state phase diagrams of spin–orbit coupled Bose atoms in optical lattices. By properly parameterizing the order with an ansatz function for each possible phase and comparing their energies which are minimized with respect to the variational parameters, we can effectively identify the lowest energy states and depict the phase diagram. While the Mott-insulator-superfluid phase boundary is computed by the usual Gutzwiller method, the spin-ordered phase structures of the deep Mott regime as well as the superfluid regime are studied by the variational order method. For the isotropic spin–orbit coupling, the phase diagram in the deep Mott insulator regime is qualitatively similar to results derived by the classical Monte-Carlo simulations or other numerical methods. The spiral phases with different spatial periods are discussed in detail. We find three new spin-ordered phases in the deep Mott insulator regime with anisotropic spin–orbit coupling. We also identify the uniform superfluid, stripe and checkerboard supersolid phases with exotic spin orders in the superfluid regime.

Scattering framework for two particles with isotropic spin-orbit coupling applicable to all energies

Previous work developed a K-matrix formalism applicable to positive energies for the scattering between two $s$-wave interacting particles with two internal states, isotropic spin-orbit coupling and vanishing center-of-mass momentum [H. Duan, L. You and B. Gao, Phys. Rev A {\bf{87}}, 052708 (2013)]. This work extends the formalism to the entire energy regime. Explicit solutions are obtained for the total angular momentum $J=0$ and $1$ channels. The behavior of the partial cross sections in the negative energy regime is analyzed in detail. We find that the leading contributions to the partial cross sections at the negative energy thresholds are governed by the spin-orbit coupling strength $k_{\text{so}}$ and the mass ratio. The fact that these contributions are independent of the two-body scattering length $a_s$ is a direct consequence of the effective reduction of the dimensionality, and hence of the density of states, near the scattering thresholds due to the single-particle spin-orbit coupling terms. The results are analytically continued to the energy regime where bound states exist. It is shown that our results are consistent with results obtained by alternative approaches. Our formulation, which can be regarded as an extension of the standard textbook partial wave decomposition, can be generalized to two-body systems with other types of spin-orbit coupling, including cases where the center-of-mass momentum does not vanish.

Vortices in a Rotating Spin-Orbit-Coupled Bose—Einstein Condensate under Extreme Elongation in a Harmonic Plus Quartic Trap**Supported by the National Natural Science Fund for National Major Scientific Research Equipment and Equipment Special Fund under Grant No. 61025023, the NMFSEID under Grant No. 61127901, the Key Project Fund of the CAS “Light of West China” Program under Grant No. 2012ZD02, the Youth

We consider the ground-state properties of a rotating spin-orbit-coupled Bose—Einstein condensate under extreme elongation in a harmonic plus quartic potential. The effects of spin-orbit coupling and rotation on the ground-state vortex structures are investigated. In the absence of spin-orbit coupling, new nucleated vortices gradually form vortex lines and annular vortex structures with the increase of the rotation frequency. In the presence of spin-orbit coupling, part of the vortices arrange in a line and form a stable vortex chain, and the remanent vortices coexist in pairs aside such vortex chain. More specially, the remanent vortices of each component repel each other and form vortex pair for isotropic spin-orbit coupling, while attract each other and locate in the same positions for anisotropic spin-orbit coupling.

General formalism for ultracold scattering with isotropic spin-orbit coupling

A general treatment of ultracold two-body scattering in the presence of isotropic spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is presented. Owing to the mixing of different partial wave channels, scattering with SOC is in general a coupled multichannel problem. A systematic method is introduced to analytically solve a class of coupled differential equations by recasting the coupled channel problem as a simple eigenvalue problem. The exact Green's matrix in the presence of SOC is found, which readily gives the scattering solutions for any two identical particles in any total angular momentum subspace having negligible center of mass momentum. Application of this formalism to two spin-1 bosons shows the ubiquitous low energy threshold behavior for systems with isotropic SOC. A modified threshold behavior shows up, which does not occur for the spin-orbit coupled spin-1/2 system. We also confirm the parity-breaking mechanism for the spontaneous emergency of handedness, that has been proposed by Duan et. al. [1]. Additionally, a two-body bound state is found for any arbitrarily small and negative scattering length. Our study sheds light on the few-body side of SOC physics and provides one step towards understanding ultracold scattering in a non-Abelian gauge field.

Ring model for trapped condensates with synthetic spin-orbit coupling

We derive an effective ring model in momentum space for trapped bosons with synthetic spin-orbit coupling. This effective model is characterized by a peculiar form of the inter particle interactions, which is crucially modified by the external confinement. The ring model allows for an intuitive understanding of the phase diagram of trapped condensates with isotropic spin-orbit coupling, and in particular for the existence of skyrmion lattice phases. The model, which may be generally applied for spinor condensates of arbitrary spin and spin-dependent interactions, is illustrated for the particular cases of spin-1/2 and spin-1 condensates.

Rotating spin–orbit coupled Bose–Einstein condensates in concentrically coupled annular traps

We study trapped 2D spin-1 Bose–Einstein condensates with isotropic spin–orbit coupling and rotation, showing rich ground state phases and phase transition results from the nontrivial interplay among spin–orbit coupling, rotation and confinement. We show that for experimentally feasible parameters and only in the presence of spin–orbit coupling, a double-ring structure for the longitudinal magnetization of the system can be formed within the minima of inner and/or outer rings. Moreover, the rotation effectively enhances the effect of the spin–orbit coupling and controls the location of atoms between both rings. Our results provide a scenario of controlling different phases of a spin–orbit coupled condensate by varying the spin–orbit coupling strength and rotation frequency, instead of using the conventional approach of changing the s-wave scattering length.

Ultracold collisions in the presence of synthetic spin-orbit coupling

We present an analytic description of ultracold collision between two spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ fermions with isotropic spin-orbit coupling of the Rashba type. We show that regardless of how weak the spin-orbit coupling may be, the ultracold collision at sufficiently low energies is significantly modified, including the ubiquitous Wigner threshold behavior. We further show that the particles are preferably scattered into the lower-energy helicity state due to the break of parity conservation, thus establishing interaction with spin-orbit coupling as one mechanism for the spontaneous emergence of handedness.

Trapped Two-Dimensional Condensates with Synthetic Spin-Orbit Coupling

We study trapped 2D atomic Bose-Einstein condensates with spin-independent interactions in the presence of an isotropic spin-orbit coupling, showing that a rich physics results from the nontrivial interplay between spin-orbit coupling, confinement and interatomic interactions. For low interactions two types of half-vortex solutions with different winding occur, whereas strong-enough repulsive interactions result in a stripe-phase similar to that predicted for homogeneous condensates. Intermediate interaction regimes are characterized for large enough spin-orbit coupling by an hexagonally-symmetric phase with a triangular lattice of density minima similar to that observed in rapidly rotating condensates.