Roton-mediated soliton bound states in binary dipolar condensates

Abstract

We investigate the formation of bound states between dark-antidark solitary waves in two-component dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates. The excitation spectrum contains density and spin branches, and a rotonic feature of the spin branch enables long-range soliton interactions, giving rise to multiple bound states for a single pair, each with a distinct separation. We show that these bound states originate from periodic modulations of the inter-soliton potential, while individual solitons are surrounded by spatial spin-density oscillations. Both features provide direct signatures of the spin roton. Collisions between unbound solitons probe this potential, with dipolar interactions enforcing universal bouncing at low velocities, independent of soliton sign, whereas nondipolar solitons may either transmit or bounce. This distinct behavior offers a realistic path to confirming spin rotons experimentally.