We measure the collective excitation spectrum of a spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensate using Bragg spectroscopy. The spin-orbit coupling is generated by Raman dressing of atomic hyperfine states. When the Raman detuning is reduced, mode softe
ning at a finite momentum is revealed, which provides insight towards a supersolid-like phase transition. We find that for the parameters of our system, this softening stops at a finite excitation gap and is symmetric under a sign change of the Raman detuning. Finally, using a moving barrier that is swept through the BEC, we also show the effect of the collective excitation on the fluid dynamics.
The realization of artificial gauge fields and spin-orbit coupling for ultra-cold quantum gases promises new insight into paradigm solid state systems. Here we experimentally probe the dispersion relation of a spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condens
ate loaded into a translating optical lattice by observing its dynamical stability, and develop an effective band structure that provides a theoretical understanding of the locations of the band edges. This system presents exciting new opportunities for engineering condensed-matter analogs using the flexible toolbox of ultra-cold quantum gases.
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.
We experimentally investigate the phase winding dynamics of a harmonically trapped two-component BEC subject to microwave induced Rabi oscillations between two pseudospin components. While the single particle dynamics can be explained by mapping the
system to a two-component Bose-Hubbard model, nonlinearities due to the interatomic repulsion lead to new effects observed in the experiments: In the presence of a linear magnetic field gradient, a qualitatively stable moving magnetic order that is similar to antiferromagnetic order is observed after critical winding is achieved. We also demonstrate how the phase winding can be used as a new tool to generate copious dark-bright solitons in a two-component BEC, opening the door for new experimental studies of these nonlinear features.
The thermodynamical properties of dark energy are usually investigated with the equation of state $omega =omega_{0}+omega_{1}z$. Recent observations show that our universe is accelerating, and the apparent horizon and the event horizon vary with reds
hift $z$. When definitions of the temperature and entropy of a black hole are used to the two horizons of the universe, we examine the thermodynamical properties of the universe which is enveloped by the apparent horizon and the event horizon respectively. We show that the first and the second laws of thermodynamics inside the apparent horizon in any redshift are satisfied, while they are broken down inside the event horizon in some redshift. Therefore, the apparent horizon for the universe may be the boundary of thermodynamical equilibrium for the universe like the event horizon for a black hole.
