Spin-orbit coupling induced separation and hidden spin textures in spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensates

TL;DR

This paper explores how spin-orbit coupling affects the ground state and spin textures in spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensates, revealing density deviations, half-skyrmions, and magnetic moment variations through analytical and numerical methods.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the effects of spin-orbit coupling on the spatial and spin structures of spin-1 BECs, including the emergence of half-skyrmions and magnetic textures.

Findings

Density distribution centers deviate from trap center at moderate coupling

Periphery half-skyrmions textures appear at high spin-orbit coupling

External trap manipulation enhances local magnetic moment $\

Abstract

We analytically and numerically investigate the ground state of the spin-orbit coupled spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensates in an external parabolic potential. When the spin-orbit coupling strength $\kappa$ is comparable with that of the trapping potential, the density distribution centers of different components of the spinor condensate deviate evidently from the trap center in the plane wave and stripe phases. When $\kappa\gg1$, the magnitude of this deviation decreases as $\kappa$ is getting larger and larger. Correspondingly, periphery half-skyrmions textures arise. This deviation can be reflected by the non-uniform magnetic moment in the $z$ direction, $\mathcal{F}_z$. With the manipulation of the external trap, the local magnitude of $\mathcal{F}_z$ can be increased evidently. This kind of increase of $\mathcal{F}_z$ is also observed in the square vortex lattice phase of the condensate.