Pengjun Wang, Zeng-Qiang Yu, Zhengkun Fu, Jiao Miao, Lianghui Huang, Shijie Chai, Hui Zhai, Jing Zhang
Spin-orbit coupling plays an increasingly important role in the modern condensed matter physics. For instance, it gives birth to topological insulators and topological superconductors. Quantum simulation of spin-orbit coupling using ultracold Fermi gases will offer opportunities to study these new phenomena in a more controllable setting. Here we report the first experimental study of a spin-orbit coupled Fermi gas. We observe spin dephasing in spin dynamics and momentum distribution asymmetry in the equilibrium state as hallmarks of spin-orbit coupling. We also observe evidences of Lifshitz transition where the topology of Fermi surfaces change. This serves as an important first step toward finding Majorana fermions in this system.
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http://arxiv.org/abs/1204.1887
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