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Title: Trapped Two-Dimensional Condensates with Synthetic Spin-Orbit Coupling

Journal Article · · Physical Review Letters
 [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Indian Institute of Science Education and Research-Kolkata, Mohanpur, Nadia 741252 (India)
  2. Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Noethnitzer Strasse 38, D-01187 Dresden (Germany)
  3. Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Leibniz Universitaet, Hannover, Appelstrasse 2, D-30167, Hannover (Germany)

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.

OSTI ID:
21612581
Journal Information:
Physical Review Letters, Vol. 107, Issue 27; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.270401; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0031-9007
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English