BCS pairing state of a Dilute Bose Gas with Spin-Orbit Coupling

Abstract

We study a two-component Bose gas with a symmetric spin-orbit coupling, and find that two atoms can form a bound state with any intra- or inter-species scattering length. Consequently, in the dilute limit, the Bardeen-Cooper-Shrieffer (BCS) pairing state of bosons can be formed with weakly-attractive inter-species and repulsive intra-species interactions. The quasiparticle excitation energies are anisotropic due to spin-orbit coupling. This BCS paring state is energetically favored over Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) of atoms at low densities. As the density increases, there is a first-order transition from the BCS to BEC states.