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Paired superfluidity and fractionalized vortices in systems of spin-orbit coupled bosons

Cornell Affiliated Author(s)

Author

Chao-Ming Jian
Hui Zhai

Abstract

In this Rapid Communication we study finite-temperature properties of spin-1/2 interacting bosons with spin-orbit coupling in two dimensions. When the ground state has stripe order, we show that thermal fluctuations will first melt the stripe order and lead to a superfluid of boson pairs if the spin-orbit coupling is isotropic or nearly isotropic. Such a phase supports fractionalized quantum vortices. The Kosterlitz-Thouless transition from superfluid to normal state is driven by proliferation of half vortices. When the ground state is a plane-wave state, the transition to normal state is driven by conventional Kosterlitz-Thouless transition. However, the critical temperature will drop to zero for isotropic spin-orbit coupling. © 2011 American Physical Society.

Date Published

Journal

Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics

Volume

84

Issue

6

URL

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-80052391087&doi=10.1103%2fPhysRevB.84.060508&partnerID=40&md5=e40a813eaa4d544dcd2a16b79f5af849

DOI

10.1103/PhysRevB.84.060508

Group (Lab)

Chao-Ming Jian Group

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