We present measurements and a theoretical model for the interplay of spin dependent interactions and external magnetic fields in atomic spinor condensates. We highlight general features like quadratic Zeeman dephasing and its influence on coherent spin mixing processes by focusing on a specific coherent superposition state in a F=1 $^{87}$Rb Bose-Einstein condensate. In particular, we observe the transition from coherent spinor oscillations to thermal equilibration.
We observe coherent spin oscillations in an antiferromagnetic spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate of sodium. The variation of the spin oscillations with magnetic field shows a clear signature of nonlinearity, in agreement with theory, which also predicts
anharmonic oscillations near a critical magnetic field. Measurements of the magnetic phase diagram agree with predictions made in the approximation of a single spatial mode. The oscillation period yields the best measurement to date of the sodium spin-dependent interaction coefficient, determining that the difference between the sodium spin-dependent s-wave scattering lengths $a_{f=2}-a_{f=0}$ is $2.47pm0.27$ Bohr radii.
First order coherence measurements of a polariton condensate, reveal a regime where the condensate pseudo-spin precesses persistently within the driving optical pulse. Within a single 20 $mu$s optical pulse the condensate pseudo-spin performs over $1
0^5$ precessions with striking frequency stability. The condensate maintains its phase coherence even after a complete precession of the spin vector, making the observed state by a definition a spin coherent state. The emergence of the precession is traced to the polariton interactions that give rise to a self-induced out-of-plane magnetic field that in turn drives the spin dynamics. We find that the Larmor oscillation frequency scales with the condensate density, enabling external tuning of this effect by optical means. The stability of the system allows for the realization of integrated optical magnetometry devices with the use of materials with enhanced exciton $g$-factor and can facilitate spin squeezing effects and active coherent control on the Bloch sphere in polariton condensates.
We present experiments revealing the competing effect of quantum fluctuations and of a coherent seed in the dynamics of a spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate, and discuss the relevance of a mean-field description of our system. We first explore a near-eq
uilibrium situation, where the mean-field equations can be linearized around a fixed point corresponding to all atoms in the same Zeeman state $m=0$. Preparing the system at this classical fixed point, we observe a reversible dynamics triggered by quantum fluctuations, which cannot be understood within a classical framework. We demonstrate that the classical description becomes accurate provided a coherent seed of a few atoms only is present in the other Zeeman states $m= pm 1$. In a second regime characterized by a strong non-linearity of the mean-field equations, we observe a collapse dynamics driven by quantum fluctuations. This behavior cannot be accounted for by a classical description and persists for a large range of initial states. We show that all our experimental results can be explained with a semi-classical description (truncated Wigner approximation), using stochastic classical variables to model the quantum noise.
We measure the mass, gap, and magnetic moment of a magnon in the ferromagnetic $F=1$ spinor Bose-Einstein condensate of $^{87}$Rb. We find an unusually heavy magnon mass of $1.038(2)_mathrm{stat}(8)_mathrm{sys}$ times the atomic mass, as determined b
y interfering standing and running coherent magnon waves within the dense and trapped condensed gas. This measurement is shifted significantly from theoretical estimates. The magnon energy gap of $htimes 2.5(1)_mathrm{stat}(2)_mathrm{sys};mathrm{Hz}$ and the effective magnetic moment of $-1.04(2)_mathrm{stat}(8),mu_textrm{bare}$ times the atomic magnetic moment are consistent with mean-field predictions. The nonzero energy gap arises from magnetic dipole-dipole interactions.
We study the spin dynamics of quasi-one-dimensional F=1 condensates both at zero and finite temperatures for arbitrary initial spin configurations. The rich dynamical evolution exhibited by these non-linear systems is explained by surprisingly simple
principles: minimization of energy at zero temperature, and maximization of entropy at high temperature. Our analytical results for the homogeneous case are corroborated by numerical simulations for confined condensates in a wide variety of initial conditions. These predictions compare qualitatively well with recent experimental observations and can, therefore, serve as a guidance for on-going experiments.