Dynamics of Spinor Bose Condensates Austen Lamacraft, University of Virginia, DMR 0846788

1. Dynamics of Spinor Bose CondensatesAusten Lamacraft, University of Virginia, DMR 0846788 One of the great novelties of Bose condensation in the alkali gases is the possibility of spontaneous magnetic ordering of the atoms’ spin. Here, we investigated the dynamics of a single magnetic domain in such a gas, finding a novel geometrical description of the classical dynamics, which leads to a prediction of interesting features in the quantum spectrum. In particular, this systems displays Hamiltonian monodromy: a certain topology of phase space that was discovered by mathematicians only relatively recently. This work is published in Phys. Rev. A 83, 033605 (2011). (Right) Geometrical construction used to describe the spin-1 order parameter in terms of hyperbolic spin. (Left) The description of the classical dynamics of the condensate allows us to understand certain topological features of the quantum spectrum.

2. Dynamics of Spinor Bose CondensatesAusten Lamacraft, University of Virginia, DMR 0846788 I am presently writing a book Atomic Condensates: Collective Phenomena in Ultracold Atomic Gases, to be published by Cambridge University Press, that will provide an accessible introduction to this fascinating field. This book will apply a consistent condensed matter viewpoint to the study of atomic gases at the advanced undergraduate level. All materials may be found online at: http://faculty.virginia.edu/austen/ Image courtesy Dan Stamper-Kurn