Synthetic Spin-orbit Coupling Research Articles

Bose-Bose mixtures with synthetic spin-orbit coupling in optical lattices

We investigate the ground state properties of Bose-Bose mixtures with Rashba-type spin-orbit (SO) coupling in a square lattice. The system displays rich physics from the deep Mott-insulator (MI) all the way to the superfluid (SF) regime. In the deep MI regime, novel spin-ordered phases arise due to the effective Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya type super-exchange interactions. By employing the non-perturbative Bosonic Dynamical Mean-Field-Theory (BDMFT), we numerically study and establish the stability of these magnetic phases against increasing hopping amplitude. We show that as hopping is increased across the MI to SF transition, exotic superfluid phases with magnetic textures emerge. In particular, we identify a new spin-spiral magnetic texture with spatial period 3 in the superfluid close to the MI-SF transition.

Three-component Fulde-Ferrell superfluids in a two-dimensional Fermi gas with spin-orbit coupling

We investigate the pairing physics of a three-component spin-orbit coupled Fermi gas in two spatial dimensions. The three atomic hyperfine states of the system are coupled by the recently realized synthetic spin-orbit coupling (SOC), which mixes different hyperfine states into helicity branches in a momentum-dependent manner. As a consequence, the interplay of spin-orbit coupling and the hyperfine-state dependent interactions leads to the emergence of Fulde-Ferrell (FF) pairing states with finite center-of-mass momenta even in the absence of the Fermi-surface asymmetry that is usually mandatory to stabilize an SOC-induced FF state. We show that, for different combinations of spin-dependent interactions, the ground state of the system can either be the conventional Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer pairing state with zero center-of-mass momentum or be the FF pairing states. Of particular interest here is the existence of a three-component FF pairing state in which every two out of the three components form FF pairing. We map out the phase diagram of the system and characterize the properties of the three-component FF state, such as the order parameters, the gapless contours and the momentum distributions. Based on these results, we discuss possible experimental detection schemes for the interesting pairing states in the system.

Dynamical spin-density waves in a spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensate

Synthetic spin-orbit (SO) coupling, an important ingredient for quantum simulation of many exotic condensed matter physics, has recently attracted considerable attention. The static and dynamic properties of a SO coupled Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) have been extensively studied in both theory and experiment. Here we numerically investigate the generation and propagation of a \textit{dynamical} spin-density wave (SDW) in a SO coupled BEC using a fast moving Gaussian-shaped barrier. We find that the SDW wavelength is sensitive to the barrier's velocity while varies slightly with the barrier's peak potential or width. We qualitatively explain the generation of SDW by considering a rectangular barrier in a one dimensional system. Our results may motivate future experimental and theoretical investigations of rich dynamics in the SO coupled BEC induced by a moving barrier.

Electron Correlation Effects in Non-Centrosymmetric Metals in the Weak Coupling Regime

The two-dimensional Rashba-Hubbard model is investigated in order to clarify the electron correlation effects in non-centrosymmetric metals. The renormalization effect on Rashba spin-orbit coupling (RSOC) is calculated on the basis of second-order and third-order perturbation theories. We show that RSOC is enhanced by the electron correlation. On the other hand, the spin-splitting of the Fermi momentum (SFM) is robust against the electron correlation effect because the enhancement of RSOC is cancelled by the $k$-mass renormalization. The cancellation is almost perfect in often adopted models in which the momentum dependence of RSOC is linear in the quasiparticle velocity. A small correction to the SFM appears otherwise. We show that the same results are obtained for other antisymmetric spin-orbit couplings in non-centrosymmetric systems, such as the synthetic spin-orbit coupling in cold atoms.

Quantum state engineering of spin-orbit-coupled ultracold atoms in a Morse potential

Achieving full control of a Bose-Einstein condensate can have valuable applications in metrology, quantum information processing, and quantum condensed matter physics. We propose protocols to simultaneously control the internal (related to its pseudospin-1/2) and motional (position-related) states of a spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensate confined in a Morse potential. In the presence of synthetic spin-orbit coupling, the state transition of a noninteracting condensate can be implemented by Raman coupling and detuning terms designed by invariant-based inverse engineering. The state transfer may also be driven by tuning the direction of the spin-orbit-coupling field and modulating the magnitude of the effective synthetic magnetic field. The results can be generalized for interacting condensates by changing the time-dependent detuning to compensate for the interaction. We find that a two-level algorithm for the inverse engineering remains numerically accurate even if the entire set of possible states is considered. The proposed approach is robust against the laser-field noise and systematic device-dependent errors.

Topological phase transition in the quench dynamics of a one-dimensional Fermi gas with spin–orbit coupling

We study the quench dynamics of a one-dimensional ultracold Fermi gas with synthetic spin-orbit coupling. At equilibrium, the ground state of the system can undergo a topological phase transition and become a topological superfluid with Majorana edge states. As the interaction is quenched near the topological phase boundary, we identify an interesting dynamical phase transition of the quenched state in the long-time limit, characterized by an abrupt change of the pairing gap at a critical quenched interaction strength. We further demonstrate the topological nature of this dynamical phase transition from edge-state analysis of the quenched states. Our findings provide interesting clues for the understanding of topological phase transitions in dynamical processes, and can be useful for the dynamical detection of Majorana edge states in corresponding systems.

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.

Pairing superfluidity in spin-orbit coupled ultracold Fermi gases

We review some recent progresses on the study of ultracold Fermi gases with synthetic spin-orbit coupling. In particular, we focus on the pairing superfluidity in these systems at zero temperature. Recent studies have shown that different forms of spin-orbit coupling in various spatial dimensions can lead to a wealth of novel pairing superfluidity. A common theme of these variations is the emergence of new pairing mechanisms which are direct results of spin-orbit-coupling-modified single-particle dispersion spectra. As different configurations can give rise to single-particle dispersion spectra with drastic differences in symmetry, spin dependence and low-energy density of states, spin-orbit coupling is potentially a powerful tool of quantum control, which, when combined with other available control schemes in ultracold atomic gases, will enable us to engineer novel states of matter.

Periodically Driven Quantum Systems: Effective Hamiltonians and Engineered Gauge Fields

Driving a quantum system periodically in time can profoundly alter its long-time dynamics and trigger topological order. Such schemes are particularly promising for generating non-trivial energy bands and gauge structures in quantum-matter systems. Here, we develop a general formalism that captures the essential features ruling the dynamics: the effective Hamiltonian, but also the effects related to the initial phase of the modulation and the micro-motion. This framework allows for the identification of driving schemes, based on general N-step modulations, which lead to configurations relevant for quantum simulation. In particular, we explore methods to generate synthetic spin-orbit couplings and magnetic fields in cold-atom setups.

Evolution of magnetic structure driven by synthetic spin-orbit coupling in a two-component Bose-Hubbard model

We study the evolution of magnetic structure driven by a synthetic spin-orbit coupling in a one-dimensional two-component Bose-Hubbard model. In addition to the Mott insulator-superfluid transition, we found in Mott insulator phases a transition from a gapped ferromagnetic phase to a gapless chiral phase by increasing the strength of spin-orbit coupling. Further increasing the spin-orbit coupling drives a transition from the gapless chiral phase to a gapped antiferromagnetic phase. These magnetic structures persist in superfluid phases. In particular, in the chiral Mott insulator and chiral superfluid phases, incommensurability is observed in characteristic correlation functions. These unconventional Mott insulator phase and superfluid phase demonstrate the novel effects arising from the competition between the kinetic energy and the spin-orbit coupling.

Non-Luttinger quantum liquid of one-dimensional spin-orbit-coupled bosons

We show that the synthetic spin-orbit coupling created in current ultracold atom experiments provides physicists a unique tool to control the Luttinger liquid parameter $K$ of weakly interacting bosons in one dimension. At a critical value of the Raman coupling strength ${\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{c}$, $K$ is suppressed down to zero, and the characteristic quasi-long-range order for ordinary one-dimensional quantum systems disappears. Consequently, the single-particle correlation function decays exponentially at the ground state, signifying the rise of a one-dimensional quantum many-body state beyond the standard Luttinger liquid paradigm. Momentum distribution, as well as scaling relations for various quantities in the vicinity of the critical point, can be used as a direct diagnosis of this non-Luttinger quantum liquid.

Interference of spin-orbit–coupled Bose-Einstein condensates

Interference of atomic Bose-Einstein condensates, observed in free expansion experiments, is a basic characteristic of their quantum nature. The ability to produce synthetic spin-orbit coupling in Bose-Einstein condensates has recently opened a new research field. Here we theoretically describe the interference of two noninteracting spin-orbit–coupled Bose-Einstein condensates in an external synthetic magnetic field. We demonstrate that the spin-orbit and the Zeeman couplings strongly influence the interference pattern determined by the angle between the spins of the condensates, as can be seen in time-of-flight experiments. We show that a quantum backflow, being a subtle feature of the interference, is, nevertheless, robust against the spin-orbit coupling and applied synthetic magnetic field.

Ground state of rotating ultracold quantum gases with anisotropic spin—orbit coupling and concentrically coupled annular potential

Motivated by recent experimental realization of synthetic spin—orbit coupling in neutral quantum gases, we consider the quasi-two-dimensional rotating two-component Bose—Einstein condensates with anisotropic Rashba spin—orbit coupling subject to concentrically coupled annular potential. For experimentally feasible parameters, the rotating condensate exhibits a variety of rich ground state structures by varying the strengths of the spin—orbit coupling and rotational frequency. Moreover, the phase transitions between different ground state phases induced by the anisotropic spin—orbit coupling are obviously different from the isotropic one.

Three-component ultracold Fermi gases with spin-orbit coupling.

We investigate the pairing physics in a three-component Fermi-Fermi mixture, where a few fermionic impurities are immersed in a noninteracting two-component Fermi gas with synthetic spin-orbit coupling (SOC), and interact attractively with one spin species in the Fermi gas. Because of the interplay of SOC and the spin-selective interaction, the molecular state intrinsically acquires a nonzero center-of-mass momentum, which results in a new type of Fulde-Ferrell (FF) pairing in spin-orbit coupled Fermi systems. The existence of the Fermi sea can also lead to the competition between FF-like molecular states with different center-of-mass momenta, which corresponds to a first-order transition between FF phases in the thermodynamic limit. As the interaction strength is tuned, a polaron-molecule transition occurs in the highly imbalanced system, where the boundary varies nonmonotonically with SOC parameters and gives rise to the reentrance of polaron states. The rich physics in this system can be probed using existing experimental techniques.

Ferromagnetism in a two-component Bose-Hubbard model with synthetic spin-orbit coupling

We study the effect of the synthetic spin-orbit coupling in a two-component Bose-Hubbard model in one dimension by employing the density-matrix renormalization group method. A ferromagnetic long-range order emerges in both Mott insulator and superfluid phases resulting from the spontaneous breaking of the $Z_2$ symmetry, when the spin-orbit coupling term becomes comparable to the hopping kinetic energy and the inter-component interaction is smaller than the intra-one as well. This novel effect is expected to be detectable with the present realization of the synthetic spin-orbit coupling in experiments.

Wave-function vortex attachment via matrix products: Application to atomic Fermi gases in flat spin-orbit bands

Variational wave functions that introduce zeros (vortices) to screen repulsive interactions are typically difficult to verify in unbiased microscopic calculations. An approach is constructed to insert vortices into ansatz wave functions using a matrix-product representation. This approach opens the door to validation of a broad class of Jastrow-based wave functions. The formalism is applied to a model motivated by experiments on ultracold atomic gases in the presence of synthetic spin-orbit coupling. Validated wave functions show that vortices in atomic Fermi gases with flat Rashba spin-orbit bands cluster near the system center and should therefore be directly visible in time-of-flight imaging.

Emergent Kinetics and Fractionalized Charge in 1D Spin-Orbit Coupled Flatband Optical Lattices

Recent ultracold atomic gas experiments implementing synthetic spin-orbit coupling allow access to flatbands that emphasize interactions. We model spin-orbit coupled fermions in a one-dimensional flatband optical lattice. We introduce an effective Luttinger-liquid theory to show that interactions generate collective excitations with emergent kinetics and fractionalized charge, analogous to properties found in the two-dimensional fractional quantum Hall regime. Observation of these excitations would provide an important platform for exploring exotic quantum states derived solely from interactions.

Universal Trimers Induced by Spin-Orbit Coupling in Ultracold Fermi Gases

In this Letter we address the issue of how synthetic spin-orbit (SO) coupling can strongly affect three-body physics in ultracold atomic gases. We consider a system which consists of three fermionic atoms, including two spinless heavy atoms and one spin-1/2 light atom subjected to an isotropic SO coupling. We find that SO coupling can induce universal three-body bound states with a negative s-wave scattering length at a smaller mass ratio, where no trimer bound state can exist if in the absence of SO coupling. The energies of these trimers are independent of the high-energy cutoff, and therefore they are universal ones. Moreover, the resulting atom-dimer resonance can be effectively controlled by SO coupling strength. Our results can be applied to systems like a 6Li and 40K mixture.

Production of Feshbach molecules induced by spin–orbit coupling in Fermi gases

The creation of Feshbach molecules by exploiting engineered spin–orbit coupling in a spin-polarized Fermi gas advances the experimental study of topological superfluidity in ultracold gases. The search for topological superconductors is a challenging task1,2. One of the most promising directions is to use spin–orbit coupling through which an s-wave superconductor can induce unconventional p-wave pairing in a spin-polarized metal3,4. Recently, synthetic spin–orbit couplings have been realized in cold-atom systems5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 where instead of a proximity effect, s-wave pairing originates from a resonant coupling between s-wave molecules and itinerant atoms17. Here we demonstrate a dynamic process in which spin–orbit coupling coherently produces s-wave Feshbach molecules from a fully polarized Fermi gas, and induces a coherent oscillation between these two. This demonstrates experimentally that spin–orbit coupling does coherently couple singlet and triplet states, and implies that the bound pairs of this system have a triplet p-wave component, which can become a topological superfluid by further cooling to condensation and confinement to one dimension.

Unconventional Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov pairing states in a Fermi gas with spin-orbit coupling

We study the phase diagram of a two-dimensional Fermi gas with the synthetic spin-orbit coupling that has recently been realized experimentally. In particular, we characterize in detail the properties and the stability region of the unconventional Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) states in such a system, which are induced by spin-orbit coupling and Fermi surface asymmetry. We identify several distinct nodal FFLO states by studying the topology of their respective gapless contours in momentum space. We then examine the phase structure and the number density distributions in a typical harmonic trapping potential under the local density approximation. Our studies provide detailed information on the FFLO pairing states with spin-orbit coupling and Fermi surface asymmetry, and will facilitate experimental detection of these interesting pairing states in the future.