Quantized Anomalous Hall Insulator in a Nanopatterned Two-Dimensional Electron Gas

We propose that a quantum anomalous Hall insulator (QAHI) can be realized in a nanopatterned two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) with a small in-plane magnetic field and a high carrier density. The Berry curvatures originating from the in-plane magnetic field and Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling, in combination with a nanoscale honeycomb lattice potential modulation, lead to topologically nontrivial insulating states in the 2DEG without Landau levels. In the bulk insulating gaps, the anomalous Hall conductivity is quantized $-e^{2}/h$, corresponding to a finite Chern number -1. There exists one gapless chiral edge state on each edge of a finite size 2DEG.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Odd-petal states and persistent flows in spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates

We study the phase diagram of a Rashba spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensate confined in a two-dimensional toroidal trap. In the immiscible regime we find an azimuthally periodic density distribution, with the periodicity highly tuneable as a function of the spin-orbit coupling strength and which favours an odd number of petals in each component. This allows for a wide range of states that can be created. We further show that in the miscible regime, both components possess states with persistent flows with a unit winding number difference between them and with the absolute values of these winding numbers depending on the spin-orbit coupling strength. All features of the odd-petal and the persistent flow states can be explained using a simple but effective model.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Superfluidity in the absence of kinetics in spin-orbit-coupled optical lattices

At low temperatures bosons typically condense to minimize their single-particle kinetic energy while interactions stabilize superfluidity. Optical lattices with artificial spin-orbit coupling challenge this paradigm because here kinetic energy can be quenched in an extreme regime where the single-particle band flattens. To probe the fate of superfluidity in the absence of kinetics we construct and numerically solve interaction-only tight-binding models in flat bands. We find that novel superfluid states arise entirely from interactions operating in quenched kinetic energy bands, thus revealing a distinct and unexpected condensation mechanism. Our results have important implications for the identification of quantum condensed phases of ultracold bosons beyond conventional paradigms.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

Phase Winding a Two-Component BEC in an Elongated Trap: Experimental Observation of Moving Magnetic Orders and Dark-bright Solitons

We experimentally investigate the phase winding dynamics of a harmonically trapped two-component BEC subject to microwave induced Rabi oscillations between two pseudospin components. While the single particle dynamics can be explained by mapping the system to a two-component Bose-Hubbard model, nonlinearities due to the interatomic repulsion lead to new effects observed in the experiments: In the presence of a linear magnetic field gradient, a qualitatively stable moving magnetic order that is similar to antiferromagnetic order is observed after critical winding is achieved. We also demonstrate how the phase winding can be used as a new tool to generate copious dark-bright solitons in a two-component BEC, opening the door for new experimental studies of these nonlinear features.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Thermodynamical properties of dark energy with the equation of state ω=ω0+ω1z% \omega =\omega_{0}+\omega_{1}z

The thermodynamical properties of dark energy are usually investigated with the equation of state $\omega =\omega_{0}+\omega_{1}z$. Recent observations show that our universe is accelerating, and the apparent horizon and the event horizon vary with redshift $z$. When definitions of the temperature and entropy of a black hole are used to the two horizons of the universe, we examine the thermodynamical properties of the universe which is enveloped by the apparent horizon and the event horizon respectively. We show that the first and the second laws of thermodynamics inside the apparent horizon in any redshift are satisfied, while they are broken down inside the event horizon in some redshift. Therefore, the apparent horizon for the universe may be the boundary of thermodynamical equilibrium for the universe like the event horizon for a black hole.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, Accepted for publication in Physical Review

Bose-Einstein Condensates in Spin-Orbit Coupled Optical Lattices: Flat Bands and Superfluidity

Recently spin-orbit (SO) coupled superfluids in free space or harmonic traps have been extensively studied, motivated by the recent experimental realization of SO coupling for Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC). However, the rich physics of SO coupled BEC in optical lattices has been largely unexplored. In this paper, we show that in suitable parameter region the lowest Bloch state forms an isolated flat band in a one dimensional (1D) SO coupled optical lattice, which thus provides an experimentally feasible platform for exploring the recently celebrated topological flat band physics in lattice systems. We show that the flat band is preserved even with the mean field interaction in BEC. We investigate the superfluidity of the BEC in SO coupled lattices through dynamical and Landau stability analysis, and show that the BEC is stable on the whole flat band.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.