Spin mixing dynamics in a spin-orbit coupled spin-1 Bose–Einstein condensate

Abstract

We study the spin mixing dynamics of a spin-orbit coupled spin-1 Bose–Einstein condensate. Using mean-field theory and adopting plane wave solutions, the spin mixing dynamics can be well described by an internal Josephson equation. In order to establish the role of the different terms in spin mixing dynamics clearly, we consider the equilibrium state firstly, which shows that the spin-orbit coupling can significantly modify the dispersion relation and change the property of ground state of the condensate. For the non-equilibrium state, the spin-orbit coupling plays an important role in the spin mixing dynamics. Moreover, the oscillation period of spin mixing dynamics is determined by the coupled effects of momentum, magnetization, spin-dependent atomic interaction and spin-orbit coupling. When spin-orbit coupling is less than a critical value, it can prolong the oscillation period of spin mixing dynamics. Conversely, when the spin-orbit coupling is larger than the critical value, it can shorten the oscillation period of spin mixing dynamics. Particularly, when spin-orbit coupling is equal to the critical value, the period tends to infinity. Our study provides a complete spin mixing dynamics of spin-orbit coupled spin-1 BEC, which can be used to explore the spin mixing dynamics experimentally.