Effective spin-orbit coupling can be created in cold atom systems using atom-light interaction. We study the BECs in an optical lattice using the Gross-Pitaevskii equation with spin-orbit coupling. Bloch states for the linear equation are numerically obtained, and compared with stationary solutions to the Gross-Pitaevskii equation with nonlinear terms. Various vortex lattice states are found when the spin-orbit coupling is strong.

Categories: cond-mat.quant-gas nlin.PS quant-ph

Vortex lattice solutions to the Gross-Pitaevskii equation with spin-orbit coupling in optical lattices