Predicting spinor condensate dynamics from simple principles.
We study the spin dynamics of quasi-one-dimensional F=1 condensates both at zero and finite temperatures for arbitrary initial spin configurations. The rich dynamical evolution exhibited by these nonlinear systems is explained by surprisingly simple principles: minimization of energy at zero temperature and maximization of entropy at high temperature. Our analytical results for the homogeneous case are corroborated by numerical simulations for confined condensates in a wide variety of initial conditions. These predictions compare qualitatively well with recent experimental observations and can, therefore, serve as a guidance for ongoing experiments.
Departament d'Estructura i Constituents de la Matèria, Facultat de Física, Universitat de Barcelona, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain.
M
M
Moreno-Cardoner
J
J
Mur-Petit
M
M
Guilleumas
A
A
Polls
A
A
Sanpera
M
M
Lewenstein