Spin nematic order in antiferromagnetic spinor condensates

Large spin systems can exhibit unconventional types of magnetic ordering different from the ferromagnetic or N\'eel-like antiferromagnetic order commonly found in spin 1/2 systems. Spin-nematic phases, for instance, do not break time-reversal invariance and their magnetic order parameter is characterized by a second rank tensor with the symmetry of an ellipsoid. Here we show direct experimental evidence for spin-nematic ordering in a spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate of sodium atoms with antiferromagnetic interactions. In a mean field description this order is enforced by locking the relative phase between spin components. We reveal this mechanism by studying the spin noise after a spin rotation, which is shown to contain information hidden when looking only at averages. The method should be applicable to high spin systems in order to reveal complex magnetic phases.Comment: published versio

Classical bifurcation at the transition from Rabi to Josephson dynamics

We report on the experimental realization of an internal bosonic Josephson junction in a Rubidium spinor Bose-Einstein condensate. The measurement of the full time dynamics in phase space allows the characterization of the theoretically predicted $\pi$-phase modes and quantitatively confirms analytical predictions, revealing a classical bifurcation. Our results suggest that this system is a model system which can be tuned from classical to the quantum regime and thus is an important step towards the experimental investigation of entanglement generation close to critical points

Dynamic generation of spin-squeezed states in bosonic Josephson junctions

We analyze the formation of squeezed states in a condensate of ultracold bosonic atoms confined by a double-well potential. The emphasis is set on the dynamical formation of such states from initially coherent many-body quantum states. Two cases are described: the squeezing formation in the evolution of the system around the stable point, and in the short time evolution in the vicinity of an unstable point. The latter is shown to produce highly squeezed states on very short times. On the basis of a semiclassical approximation to the Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian, we are able to predict the amount of squeezing, its scaling with $N$ and the speed of coherent spin formation with simple analytical formulas which successfully describe the numerical Bose-Hubbard results. This new method of producing highly squeezed spin states in systems of ultracold atoms is compared to other standard methods in the literature.Comment: 12 pages, revised discussion + added reference

Spin fragmentation of Bose-Einstein condensates with antiferromagnetic interactions

We study spin fragmentation of an antiferromagnetic spin 1 condensate in the presence of a quadratic Zeeman (QZ) effect breaking spin rotational symmetry. We describe how the QZ effect turns a fragmented spin state, with large fluctuations of the Zeemans populations, into a regular polar condensate, where atoms all condense in the $m=0$ state along the field direction. We calculate the average value and variance of the Zeeman state $m=0$ to illustrate clearly the crossover from a fragmented to an unfragmented state. The typical width of this crossover is $q \sim k_B T/N$, where $q$ is the QZ energy, $T$ the spin temperature and $N$ the atom number. This shows that spin fluctuations are a mesoscopic effect that will not survive in the thermodynamic limit $N\rightarrow \infty$, but are observable for sufficiently small atom number.Comment: submitted to NJ

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen experiment with two Bose-Einstein condensates

In 1935, Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen (EPR) conceived a Gedankenexperiment which became a cornerstone of quantum technology and still challenges our understanding of reality and locality today. While the experiment has been realized with small quantum systems, a demonstration of the EPR paradox with spatially separated, massive many-particle systems has so far remained elusive. We observe the EPR paradox in an experiment with two spatially separated Bose-Einstein condensates containing about 700 Rubidium atoms each. EPR entanglement in conjunction with individual manipulation of the two condensates on the quantum level, as demonstrated here, constitutes an important resource for quantum metrology and information processing with many-particle systems. Our results show that the conflict between quantum mechanics and local realism does not disappear as the system size is increased to over a thousand massive particles.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Aluminum arsenide cleaved-edge overgrown quantum wires

We report conductance measurements in quantum wires made of aluminum arsenide, a heavy-mass, multi-valley one-dimensional (1D) system. Zero-bias conductance steps are observed as the electron density in the wire is lowered, with additional steps observable upon applying a finite dc bias. We attribute these steps to depopulation of successive 1D subbands. The quantum conductance is substantially reduced with respect to the anticipated value for a spin- and valley-degenerate 1D system. This reduction is consistent with disorder-induced, intra-wire backscattering which suppresses the transmission of 1D modes. Calculations are presented to demonstrate the role of strain in the 1D states of this cleaved-edge structure.Comment: Submitted to Applied Physics Letter