Spin-vortex nucleation in a Bose-Einstein condensate by a spin-dependent rotating trap

TL;DR

This paper proposes a method to create and detect spin-vortices in a spinor Bose-Einstein condensate using a spin-dependent rotating laser potential, achieving low-frequency vortex nucleation rapidly and nondestructively.

Contribution

It introduces a novel technique for spin-dependent vortex nucleation in BECs with low rotation frequency and short nucleation time, including a nondestructive measurement method.

Findings

Half-quantum vortices nucleate at low rotation frequencies (~0.1 ω_perp).

Vortex nucleation occurs rapidly (~50 ms) without dissipation.

Proposed nondestructive measurement method for vortices.

Abstract

A method to produce a spin-dependent rotating potential using near-resonant circularly polarized laser beams is proposed. It is shown that half-quantum vortices are nucleated in a spinor Bose-Einstein condensate with an antiferromagnetic interaction. In contrast to the vortex nucleation in a scalar BEC, the spin-vortex nucleation occurs at a low rotation frequency ($\simeq 0.1 \omega_\perp$ with $\omega_\perp$ being the radial trap frequency) in a short nucleation time $\simeq 50$ ms without dissipation. A method for nondestructive measurement of half-quantum vortices is discussed.