Vortex chains induced by anisotropic spin-orbit coupling and magnetic field in spin-2 Bose-Einstein condensates

Abstract

Abstract We investigate the anisotropic spin-orbit coupled spin-2 Bose-Einstein condensates with Ioffe-Pritchard magnetic field. With nonzero magnetic field, anisotropic spin-orbit coupling will introduce several vortices and further generate a vortex chain. Inside the vortex chain, vortices connect to each other, forming a line along the axis. The physical nature of the vortex chain can be explained by the particle current and the momentum distribution. The vortex number inside the vortex chain can be influenced via varying the magnetic field. Through adjusting the anisotropy of the spin-orbit coupling, the direction of the vortex chain is changed, and the vortex lattice can be triggered. Moreover, accompanied by the variation of the atomic interactions, the density and the momentum distribution of the vortex chain are affected. The realization and the detection of the vortex chain are compatible with current experimental techniques.