Observation of Zitterbewegung in a spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensate

TL;DR

This paper reports the first observation of Zitterbewegung oscillations in a spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensate, revealing complex spin and velocity dynamics and demonstrating control over band population.

Contribution

It presents the experimental observation of Zitterbewegung in ultra-cold atoms, supported by theoretical analysis, and explores its applications in manipulating spin-orbit band populations.

Findings

Zitterbewegung oscillations are observed immediately after quantum quenches.

Oscillations damp out over time, leading to heating of the BEC.

Zitterbewegung can be used to transfer atoms to the upper spin-orbit band.

Abstract

Spin-orbit coupled ultra-cold atoms provide an intriguing new avenue for the study of rich spin dynamics in superfluids. In this Letter, we observe Zitterbewegung, the simultaneous velocity (thus position) and spin oscillations, of neutral atoms between two spin-orbit coupled bands in a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) through sudden quantum quenches of the Hamiltonian. The observed Zitterbewegung oscillations are perfect on a short time scale but gradually damp out on a long time scale, followed by sudden and strong heating of the BEC. As an application, we also demonstrate how Zitterbewegung oscillations can be exploited to populate the upper spin-orbit band, and observe a subsequent dipole motion. Our experimental results are corroborated by a theoretical and numerical analysis and showcase the great flexibility that ultra-cold atoms provide for investigating rich spin dynamics in superfluids.