Quantum spin mixing in a binary mixture of spin-1 atomic condensates

Abstract

We study quantum spin mixing in a binary mixture of spin-1 condensates including coherent interspecies mixing process, using the familiar spinor condensates of $^{87}$Rb and $^{23}$Na atoms in the ground lower hyperfine F=1 manifolds as prototype examples. Within the single spatial mode approximation for each of the two spinor condensates, the mixing dynamics reduce to that of three coupled nonlinear pendulums with clear physical interpretations. Using suitably prepared initial states, it is possible to determine the interspecies singlet-pairing as well as spin-exchange interactions from the subsequent mixing dynamics.