Effective potentials in a rotating spin-orbit-coupled spin-1 spinor condensate.

Area of Science:

• Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
• Quantum Mechanics
• Condensed Matter Physics

Background:

• Spin-orbit (SO) coupling and coherent coupling are crucial for controlling quantum systems.
• Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) offer a platform for studying quantum phenomena.
• Rotation introduces complex dynamics in quantum systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To theoretically investigate stationary-state vortex lattice configurations in rotating spin-1 BECs.
• To analyze the combined effects of rotation, SO coupling, and coherent coupling.
• To understand the single-particle behavior and emergent potentials in these systems.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical study using the single-particle Hamiltonian, exactly solvable for 1D coupling.
• Analysis of effective potentials (toroidal, symmetric/asymmetric double-well) based on coupling and rotation.
• Coupled Gross-Pitaevskii formalism to incorporate mean-field interactions and numerical simulations.

Main Results:

• Bosons are subjected to effective toroidal or double-well potentials depending on coupling and rotation.
• Excellent agreement between analytical effective potential minima and numerical density maxima positions.
• Rapid rotation leads to spin-expectation per particle approaching unity in antiferromagnetic spin-1 BECs.

Conclusions:

• The interplay of rotation and couplings dictates the emergent potentials and vortex lattice structures.
• The single-particle perspective accurately predicts condensate behavior under mean-field interactions.
• Spin-1 BECs under rapid rotation exhibit responses similar to ferromagnetic SO-coupled condensates.