We have created a long-lived (≈40  s) persistent current in a toroidal Bose-Einstein condensate held in an all-optical trap. A repulsive optical barrier across one side of the torus creates a tunable weak link in the condensate circuit, which can affect …

Superflow in a Toroidal Bose-Einstein Condensate: An Atom Circuit with a Tunable Weak Link Read more »

Spin–orbit (SO) coupling—the interaction between a quantum particle’s spin and its momentum—is ubiquitous in physical systems. In condensed matter systems, SO coupling is crucial for the spin-Hall effect and topological insulators; it contributes to the electronic properties of materials such …

Spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates Read more »