Spontaneous Breaking of Spatial and Spin Symmetry in Spinor Condensates

Journal Article · Fri Sep 24 04:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.105.135302· OSTI ID:21471019

Scherer, M; Luecke, B; Topic, O; Ertmer, W; Klempt, C ^[1]; Gebreyesus, G; Deuretzbacher, F; Santos, L ^[2]; Arlt, J J ^[3]

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1. Institut fuer Quantenoptik, Leibniz Universitaet Hannover, 30167 Hannover (Germany)
2. Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Leibniz Universitaet Hannover, 30167 Hannover (Germany)
3. QUANTOP, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Aarhus, 8000 Aarhus C (Denmark)

Parametric amplification of quantum fluctuations constitutes a fundamental mechanism for spontaneous symmetry breaking. In our experiments, a spinor condensate acts as a parametric amplifier of spin modes, resulting in a twofold spontaneous breaking of spatial and spin symmetry in the amplified clouds. Our experiments permit a precise analysis of the amplification in specific spatial Bessel-like modes, allowing for the detailed understanding of the double symmetry breaking. On resonances that create vortex-antivortex superpositions, we show that the cylindrical spatial symmetry is spontaneously broken, but phase squeezing prevents spin-symmetry breaking. If, however, nondegenerate spin modes contribute to the amplification, quantum interferences lead to spin-dependent density profiles and hence spontaneously formed patterns in the longitudinal magnetization.

• OSTI ID: 21471019
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 13 Vol. 105; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AMPLIFICATION
AMPLIFIERS
ANGULAR MOMENTUM
DENSITY
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
FLUCTUATIONS
INTERFERENCE
MAGNETIZATION
PARAMETRIC AMPLIFIERS
PARTICLE PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RESONANCE
SPIN
SPINORS
SYMMETRY
SYMMETRY BREAKING
VARIATIONS
VORTICES