We investigate many-body spin squeezing dynamics in an XXZ model with interactions that fall off with distance $r$ as $1/r^alpha$ in $D=2$ and $3$ spatial dimensions. In stark contrast to the Ising model, we find a broad parameter regime where spin s
queezing comparable to the infinite-range $alpha=0$ limit is achievable even when interactions are short-ranged, $alpha>D$. A region of collective behavior in which optimal squeezing grows with system size extends all the way to the $alphatoinfty$ limit of nearest-neighbor interactions. Our predictions, made using the discrete truncated Wigner approximation (DTWA), are testable in a variety of experimental cold atomic, molecular, and optical platforms.
The recent experimental realization of a three-dimensional (3D) optical lattice clock not only reduces the influence of collisional interactions on the clocks accuracy but also provides a promising platform for studying dipolar many-body quantum phys
ics. Here, by solving the governing master equation, we investigate the role of both elastic and dissipative long-range interactions in the clocks dynamics and study its dependence on lattice spacing, dimensionality, and dipolar orientation. For small lattice spacing, i.e., $k_0all 1$, where $a$ is the lattice constant and $k_0$ is the transition wavenumber, a sizable spin squeezing appears in the transient state which is favored in a head-to-tail dipolar configuration in 1D systems and a side-by-side configuration in 2D systems, respectively. For large lattice spacing, i.e., $k_0agg 1$, the single atomic decay rate can be effectively suppressed due to the destructive dissipative emission of neighboring atoms in both 1D and 2D. Our results will not only aid in the design of the future generation of ultraprecise atomic clocks but also illuminates the rich many-body physics exhibited by radiating dipolar system.
Understanding the effects of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and many-body interactions on spin transport is important in condensed matter physics and spintronics. This topic has been intensively studied for spin carriers such as electrons but barely explo
red for charge-neutral bosonic quasiparticles (including their condensates), which hold promises for coherent spin transport over macroscopic distances. Here, we explore the effects of synthetic SOC (induced by optical Raman coupling) and atomic interactions on the spin transport in an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), where the spin-dipole mode (SDM, actuated by quenching the Raman coupling) of two interacting spin components constitutes an alternating spin current. We experimentally observe that SOC significantly enhances the SDM damping while reducing the thermalization (the reduction of the condensate fraction). We also observe generation of BEC collective excitations such as shape oscillations. Our theory reveals that the SOC-modified interference, immiscibility, and interaction between the spin components can play crucial roles in spin transport.
By applying a position-dependent detuning to a spin-orbit-coupled Hamiltonian with equal Rashba and Dresselhaus coupling, we exploit the behavior of the angular momentum of a harmonically trapped Bose-Einstein condensed atomic gas and discuss the dis
tinctive role of its canonical and spin components. By developing the formalism of spinor hydrodynamics we predict the precession of the dipole oscillation caused by the synthetic rotational field, in analogy with the precession of the Foucault pendulum, the excitation of the scissors mode, following the sudden switching off of the detuning, and the occurrence of Hall-like effects. When the detuning exceeds a critical value we observe a transition from a vortex free, rigidly rotating quantum gas to a gas containing vortices with negative circulation which results in a significant reduction of the total angular momentum.
By developing a hydrodynamic formalism, we investigate the expansion dynamics of the single-minimum phase of a binary spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensate, after releasing from an external harmonic trap. We find that the expansion of the conde
nsate along the direction of the spin-orbit coupling is dramatically slowed down near the transition between the single-minimum phase and the plane-wave phase. Such a slow expansion, resembling a form of an effective localization, is due to the quenching of the superfluid motion which results in a strong increase of the effective mass. In the single-minimum phase the anisotropic expansion of the Bose gas, which is spin balanced at equilibrium, is accompanied by the emergence of a local spin polarization. Our analytic scaling solutions emerging from hydrodynamic picture are compared with a full numerical simulation based on the coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations.
We study magnetic solitons, solitary waves of spin polarization (i.e., magnetization), in binary Bose-Einstein condensates in the presence of Rabi coupling. We show that the system exhibits two types of magnetic solitons, called $2pi$ and $0pi$ solit
ons, characterized by a different behavior of the relative phase between the two spin components. $2pi$ solitons exhibit a $2pi$ jump of the relative phase, independent of their velocity, the static domain wall explored by Son and Stephanov being an example of such $2pi$ solitons with vanishing velocity and magnetization. $0pi$ solitons instead do not exhibit any asymptotic jump in the relative phase. Systematic results are provided for both types of solitons in uniform matter. Numerical calculations in the presence of a one-dimensional harmonic trap reveal that a $2pi$ soliton evolves in time into a $0pi$ soliton, and vice versa, oscillating around the center of the trap. Results for the effective mass, the Landau critical velocity, and the role of the transverse confinement are also discussed.
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 barriers velocity while varies slightly with the barriers 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.
Spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) provide a powerful tool to investigate interesting gauge-field related phenomena. We study the ground state properties of such a system and show that it can be mapped to the well-known Dicke model i
n quantum optics, which describes the interactions between an ensemble of atoms and an optical field. A central prediction of the Dicke model is a quantum phase transition between a superradiant phase and a normal phase. Here we detect this transition in a spin-orbit coupled BEC by measuring various physical quantities across the phase transition. These quantities include the spin polarization, the relative occupation of the nearly degenerate single particle states, the quantity analogous to the photon field occupation, and the period of a collective oscillation (quadrupole mode). The applicability of the Dicke model to spin-orbit coupled BECs may lead to interesting applications in quantum optics and quantum information science.
Majorana fermions, quantum particles that are their own anti-particles, are not only of fundamental importance in elementary particle physics and dark matter, but also building blocks for fault-tolerant quantum computation. Recently Majorana fermions
have been intensively studied in solid state and cold atomic systems. These studies are generally based on superconducting pairing between two Fermions with opposite momenta (textit{% i.e.}, zero total momentum). On the other hand, finite total momentum Cooper pairings, known as Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) states, were predicted 50 years ago and then widely studied in many branches of physics. However, whether FFLO superconductors can also support Majorana fermions has not been explored. Here we show that Majorana fermions can exist in certain types of gapped FFLO states, yielding a new topological quantum matter: topological FFLO superfluids/superconductors. We demonstrate the existence of such topological FFLO superfluids and the associated Majorana fermions using spin-orbit coupled degenerate Fermi gases and derive their physical parameter regions. The potential implementation of topological FFLO superconductors in semiconductor/superconductor heterostructures are also discussed.
The Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) phase, a superconducting state with non-zero total momentum Cooper pairs in a large magnetic field, was first predicted about 50 years ago, and since then became an important concept in many branches of phy
sics. Despite intensive search in various materials, unambiguous experimental evidence for the FFLO phase is still lacking in experiments. In this paper, we show that both FF (uniform order parameter with plane-wave phase) and LO phase (spatially varying order parameter amplitude) can be observed using fermionic cold atoms in spin-orbit coupled optical lattices. The increasing spin-orbit coupling enhances the FF phase over the LO phase. The coexistence of superfluid and magnetic orders is also found in the normal BCS phase. The pairing mechanism for different phases is understood by visualizing superfluid pairing densities in different spin-orbit bands. The possibility of observing similar physics using spin-orbit coupled superconducting ultra-thin films is also discussed.
