Superfluidity and spin superfluidity in spinor Bose gases

J. Armaitis and R. A. Duine
Phys. Rev. A 95, 053607 – Published 4 May 2017

Abstract

We show that spinor Bose gases subject to a quadratic Zeeman effect exhibit coexisting superfluidity and spin superfluidity, and study the interplay between these two distinct types of superfluidity. To illustrate that the basic principles governing these two types of superfluidity are the same, we describe the magnetization and particle-density dynamics in a single hydrodynamic framework. In this description spin and mass supercurrents are driven by their respective chemical potential gradients. As an application, we propose an experimentally accessible stationary state, where the two types of supercurrents counterflow and cancel each other, thus resulting in no mass transport. Furthermore, we propose a straightforward setup to probe spin superfluidity by measuring the in-plane magnetization angle of the whole cloud of atoms. We verify the robustness of these findings by evaluating the four-magnon collision time, and find that the time scale for coherent (superfluid) dynamics is separated from that of the slower incoherent dynamics by one order of magnitude. Comparing the atom and magnon kinetics reveals that while the former can be hydrodynamic, the latter is typically collisionless under most experimental conditions. This implies that, while our zero-temperature hydrodynamic equations are a valid description of spin transport in Bose gases, a hydrodynamic description that treats both mass and spin transport at finite temperatures may not be readily feasible.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Received 14 March 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.95.053607

©2017 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

  1. Physical Systems
Atomic, Molecular & OpticalCondensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

J. Armaitis*

  • Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio Ave. 3, LT-10222 Vilnius, Lithuania

R. A. Duine

  • Institute for Theoretical Physics and Center for Extreme Matter and Emergent Phenomena, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands and Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands

  • *jogundas.armaitis@tfai.vu.lt

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 95, Iss. 5 — May 2017

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review A

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×