Periodic spin textures in a degenerate F=1 $^{87}$Rb spinor Bose gas

TL;DR

This paper investigates the formation of complex spin textures in degenerate F=1 $^{87}$Rb spinor Bose gases, revealing short-range periodic magnetic order and coexistence of ferromagnetic and modulated structures at low temperatures.

Contribution

It demonstrates the emergence of short-range periodic magnetic order and coexistence of ferromagnetic and modulated textures in ultracold spinor Bose gases.

Findings

Magnetized textures form with short-range periodic order.

Spatial modulations have wavelengths much smaller than the gas extent.

Ferromagnetic order coexists with modulated structures at low temperatures.

Abstract

We report on the spin textures produced by cooling unmagnetized $^{87}$Rb F=1 spinor gases into the regime of quantum degeneracy. At low temperatures, magnetized textures form that break translational symmetry and display short-range periodic magnetic order characterized by one- or two-dimensional spatial modulations with wavelengths much smaller than the extent of the quasi-two-dimensional degenerate gas. Spin textures produced upon cooling spin mixtures with a non-zero initial magnetic quadrupole moment also show ferromagnetic order that, at low temperature, coexists with the spatially modulated structure.